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Life with a brush
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Lin Min
RETIRED teacher Cai Shuyong says practising calligraphy in its most ancient pictographic form has given him a source of joy for more than three decades, whether he was a poor teacher or a well-off retiree.
Although good at writing in a number of styles, Cai, 71, adores seal characters (篆书), so named because they are often used on seals. He said writing seal characters brings him closer to nature, since the characters are efficient and vivid illustrations of life.
The long, arduous pursuit of deeper understanding of the ancient wisdom that created the "symbols of objects" began when he was exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He found writing these complicated characters, which most modern people are unable to understand, on discarded newspapers much more fun than playing cards or mah-jong.
He loves seal characters because they express the solidity and strength of metal and stone, or, in his own words, "masculine power". According to experts in the field, his seal-character works perfectly integrate the styles of both inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells (甲骨文) dating from the Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1066BC) and inscriptions on ancient bronze objects (金文) of the Yin, Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties (殷周秦汉) (1324BC - AD220).
It would take several lifetimes to fully understand seal characters. Even calligraphy masters find it a painstaking process. Yet Cai feels a thrill of excitement every time he figures out the underlying tricks underlying each character to show its meaning and "inscribes" it on the paper with his brush.
Handwriting offered him comfort and peace of mind during hard times, when he had only a monthly pay of 110 yuan (US$13) to support a family of seven. His eldest son once suggested that the family skip lunch so that they could have thick congee for supper.
In his eyes, handwriting is as high an art form as music and is as physically demanding as qigong. The only difference is that music is rhythms over time, while a calligrapher creates visual rhythms that are fixed on paper. The meditation, breath control and hand motions involved in handwriting are as good for the health as qigong, he says.
Now a renowned and respected calligrapher in his hometown of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, Cai has never tried to make money with his writing. He says it would be a burden, not a pleasure, to turn the art into a profit-making machine. He tells young people interested in following his footsteps to quit if they have financial motives.
Despite the absence of profit or fame, Cai seems content to whirl is brush, alone with his joy.
Captions:
1) Cai shrugs off material temptation and remains a humble teacher.
2)One of his seal-character works: integration with ancient wisdom
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