(The picture above is the calligraphy written by my junior sister to me in 2015)
Eighteen years ago, my husband Chen Bingbiao set up a calligraphy studio on the second floor of Changshu Library. After I got the news, I immediately signed up for training.
Teacher Chen is amiable and approachable. A group of seven or eight of us students practiced calligraphy freely in his studio. There were two classes a week at that time, and I drove there on my motorcycle from Shajiabangyan Bottom Crab Pond. Our training is very relaxed, it doesn’t matter if you write more or less. Teacher Chen always comments on my finished exercises. He said that the word "Lianggen" has the flavor of the country and the fragrance of the earth, but sometimes it is dirty when you step on the mud. It means that the writing is The writing is not clean and neat, there is no tradition, and there is no law. Hit the nail on the head, I’m convinced! If Mr. Chen is dissatisfied with the calligraphy that is not in place, he will personally review and revise it every time until he is satisfied.
Among the students, the youngest student is junior sister Qiu Hongqian. She studied seriously and meticulously, and she never slacked off during the two hours of post writing. The "diligence and ceremony" monument was so lifelike, both spiritual and physical, that she often received praise from Teacher Chen!
The two-year training ended soon, and we should have learned a lot. For example, Teacher Chen also taught me how to compose poems and lyrics, and how to deal with flat and flat... I only know a little about it, but I don't understand it. I am actually very stupid, and I still can't compose a decent poem.
Fast forward more than ten years, junior sister Hongqian loves calligraphy more than life. In recent years, she has been writing every day, and her calligraphy works have participated in many national exhibitions. Last year, "Legal Daily" held a national calligraphy competition, and she won the first prize nationally. The Chinese Calligraphy Association participated in the exhibition once and is now a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Calligraphy Association. If you work harder, you are expected to become a member of the Chinese Book Association.
Yesterday afternoon, the Suzhou Young and Middle-aged Calligraphy Nomination Exhibition was on display at the Suzhou Royal Brick Museum. I made a special trip to observe it. As soon as I entered the exhibition hall, I saw my junior sister getting there first. Together with Cai Biao, she was looking at the works of calligraphers. When I walked to Qian Yuqing's work, I called her, "Good morning, junior sister!" Yoyo... Big Brother is here too! I said, I came here specifically to see your work today. Without you, I might not come!
At this moment, I make a request. Let’s take a photo in front of Mr. Qian’s works. Without thinking, junior sister said, okay, let’s take a photo with senior brother!
So Taiping teacher Yu Linwei picked up the phone and pressed the shutter for the three of us. Then we went to see the works of Cai Biao. Cai Biao is a famous calligrapher in Changshu. He joined the Chinese Calligraphers Association in his early years. His official calligraphy is delicate, delicate and thought-provoking.
When I walked to my junior sister’s work, I was almost in a daze. The "Lanting Preface" she wrote has a unique way of expressing it. The entire text is written in Zhongshan Seal script, and the dignified lines were written with great care and time. The small regular script characters for the inscription are twice as small as the small regular script. How it was written is simply incredible! The entire work embodies all the investment and hard work of the junior sisters over the past 20 years. People stood in front of this work for a long time and couldn't bear to leave. The visitors were all thinking about a question: were these characters carved with a special knife? ! Every line is laid out so orderly, and the structure of every word is so meaningful and straight! Three feet of ice does not freeze in one day!
I asked my junior sister, why do you write such words? She said, I like to write in this style and have been writing for many years. Oh, to achieve this kind of artistic conception, it is the result of non-stop writing and unremitting efforts every day!
Calligraphy is an art, and the blood of the predecessors is condensed.
After seeing the 48 proud and exquisite masterpieces of 48 young and middle-aged people in the exhibition hall, I feel that Chinese calligraphy has successors; the traditional culture that is the first of the top ten national quintessences has been passed down from generation to generation! I am also a calligraphy enthusiast. I must not forget my original intention and keep my mission in mind; write Chinese characters well and be a good Chinese!
Learn from your junior sisters, follow the example of your comrades, ask teachers for more advice, learn more, participate more, live and learn! The old man is full of ambition and ambition!
Finally, I end this article with Lu You's "Winter Night Reading", and encourage my colleagues: "The ancients spared no effort in learning, and they only mature when they are young and work hard when they are old. What they learn on paper will eventually feel shallow, and their knowledge will be profound." This matter must be carried out ''!
October 12, 2019
(The picture below shows the works of the young and middle-aged calligraphers in Suzhou who are proud of their calligraphy exhibition)