Calligraphy Qingyu
Chinese calligraphy is the most unique abstract art in the world. It is simple in three colors: red, white and black, but the strokes contain the beauty of space and time - a calligraphy has been hanging there for thousands of years, and it is still waving inside!
It must have been around 2002. For the first time in my life, I had the courage to show Teacher Zhang Longyan a calligraphy that I thought was pretty good. He didn't speak for a long time, and finally said with a slight seriousness: "It's a bit like setting up a street vendor." From then on. , I didn’t dare to show my handwriting to the teacher after a long time.
By 2004, I couldn't help my curiosity and mustered up the courage to take a few more pictures. Unexpectedly, the teacher nodded and said: "It's not bad." Then he wrote this comment on the paper (at this time, the teacher was ninety-six He has regained his hearing at the age of 18, and we all use pens to talk): "The writing is like the person. Wang Xie is like his elegance, Xu Su is like his madness. The characters represent the character, and the writing is just about learning the brushwork."
In 2007, in addition to the temporary posts, I took out a few more temporary posts and wrote them by hand. The teacher looked at the words, then looked at me, repeatedly raised his thumb, nodded, and then wrote this comment on the paper: "There is actually very good", "natural vision", "there is flying potential". How happy it is to have a teacher praise you! The teacher is afraid that we will be proud and seldom praises us.
Encounter with apprentice by chance
I like calligraphy, and I am even more fortunate to have two good teachers: one is Fu Shen and the other is Zhang Longyan. I met Teacher Fu in the last art class of my sophomore year at the High School Affiliated to Normal University. The teacher said, "Today I will teach you about Chinese calligraphy." My eyes lit up, and I followed the teacher to the teacher's dormitory after class and said, "Teacher taught me how to write well." "?" He agreed immediately and began to teach me how to write Ouyang Xun's style.
Meeting Teacher Zhang was even more strange: In 1962, when I was in my senior year of high school, I went to the National Museum of History to visit the "Ten People Book Exhibition" after class. I lingered for a long time and was reluctant to leave. I really hoped to take a booklet back as a souvenir. While I was thinking about it, a man in his fifties walked up next to me. I asked, "Sir, are there any pamphlets printed this time that I can take back as a souvenir?"
My husband asked me: "Which paintings do you like?" I pointed out five paintings; two were placed horizontally in the large cabinet and three were hung on the wall. He took out his business card and told me: "Come to my house and see me at three o'clock on Sunday afternoon."
It turned out that the person talking to me was Teacher Zhang Longyan! Among the works of the ten great calligraphers, the five I am referring to are all his! From then on, I not only continued to be a student of Teacher Fu, but also a student of Teacher Zhang. Later, Teacher Zhang said to his fellow students: "Xu Zongshi is a disciple who has never kowtowed and never handed over to practice." Because Teacher Zhang was also Fu Shen's teacher, one time Teacher Fu was still unconvinced and said: "How can you call him ‘Teacher Zhang’? We should call him ‘Teacher Tai’!”
Simple advanced hobby
I am always respectful to my teachers. The teacher did not say that I could change my posts. It took me three or four years to write "The Monument of Zhang Qian" and "The Monument of Ritual Vessels". It was not until later, when teachers and students had been together for more than 40 years, that they dared to be a little bold and show the free-style writing they had written to the teacher. It was precisely because of this that the foundation for future writing was laid.
A teacher once said: "Calligraphy is an advanced hobby." That's absolutely true. People have spirit, soul and body; they need to cultivate hobbies. And calligraphy is the easiest, with simple materials, you will definitely make progress, and it can stay with you until you are eighty or ninety years old! Watching your own progress is the greatest happiness, not to mention that writing can also cultivate your moral character. When you are happy, you can express yourself to your heart's content. When you are troubled, spread out the paper and dip the pen and ink, and the depression and sorrow will disappear immediately. It’s great to practice calligraphy!
After I came to the United States to study and believed in the Lord, my hobbies changed. My favorite things were reading the Bible and preaching the gospel. Moreover, I discovered that when I encountered difficulties, I could pray instead of practicing calligraphy. So I put calligraphy aside for thirty years and only wrote occasionally. It wasn’t until 2004 that I asked my teacher: “Isn’t it too late to practice calligraphy again when you are in your fifties?”
He said: "It's not too late, it's not too late." So he started practicing calligraphy again and asked the teacher to correct him. There are works by Zhang Menglong, Zhang Xuan, Cui Jingyong, Chu Suiliang, Li Yong, Shimen Chrome, Qi Heming, Zhu Yunming and other famous artists, which is endless fun.
Static Madhyamaka spirit, climbing higher step by step
Chinese calligraphy is the most unique abstract art in the world. It is simple in three colors: red, white and black, but the strokes contain the beauty of space and time - a character has been hanging there for thousands of years, and it is still waving inside! People who know calligraphy can wander into the world of beauty even if they don't write with their hands, just by reading calligraphy and contemplating calligraphy. I call it: unlimited "calligraphy pure entertainment".
People who believe in the Lord can also gain spiritual growth through the process of calligraphy. Once, Teacher Fu wrote to me: "I read the calligraphy lessons I sent, and I make progress every time! According to my experience, the secret of writing is like climbing a mountain. As long as you keep going up, you will climb higher and higher. But don't treat mountain climbing as a chore. It's about enjoying the beautiful scenery around you at any time while climbing, and treating climbing as a pleasure, and you will reach the top of the mountain unknowingly. Of course, when you reach the top of this mountain and look up, there is another higher one ahead! As long as you don't get discouraged and keep the same cheerfulness and enterprising spirit, there is no end to learning. As long as you can enjoy the process, that is the greatest gain and reward!" Isn't it true for learning calligraphy? Is this not true for growth as well?
Once I was listening to a piano concerto while driving, and I realized some tips on calligraphy: practicing calligraphy is not just about looking at the shape of the characters, but also observing the spirit; the use, rotation, lightness and weight of the strokes, and the speed of the strokes are all important, otherwise the moonlight will be lost. What would it look like if the sonata was played as a symphony of destiny? Moreover, the glyphs and meanings must be learned. Just as the correct pronunciation of "Paris" in French is not "Paris" in English, the correct pronunciation of the Chinese character "Xu" is not "Shu" as Americans pronounce it!
▲Pastor Xu Zongshi and his church brothers and sisters made a special trip to the bustling Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, on Christmas Day 2009 to sing hymns and preach the gospel. They also wrote nearly a hundred pieces of calligraphy to bless everyone and convey the Lord’s message to everyone. The love spread, and many onlookers were very happy.
Pursue excellence in travel, study and art
If you are an expert in all arts, you should not only look at the appearance, but also the family background, origin and family background. This is "calligraphy" and art! I understand, as Teacher Fu said: "What Teacher Zhang teaches is the method of training great calligraphers." I think it is the pursuit of excellence, because if you are the top scholar, even if you are not participating in a competition, you should still follow the rules. Write to the extent and value of art appreciation, so that you can enjoy yourself and exchange experiences with others, rather than just writing casually, like setting up a street stall.
Since it is best to learn, why not? Famous teachers give birth to great disciples, and strong generals have no weak soldiers! Today, we are also high disciples of the Lord Jesus, sons of the Heavenly Father. One day we will be like Him, and we will be greater. Not only like the Father, like the Son, but also the blue is better than the blue, no ?
After spending most of my life on the road of spiritual pursuit, I also feel that I have found the trick just like practicing calligraphy! Teacher Fu said: "When writing, you must first cultivate appreciation and know the good and bad, the pros and cons, so that your hands can know what to follow."To cultivate calligraphy appreciation, we should pay more attention to the famous works of ancient people, but what about spiritual pursuits? We must not only understand the Bible, but also know the personal Holy Spirit, listen to His voice, follow the Holy Spirit’s revelation and guidance seriously, and understand His new deeds that are constantly emerging in this era.Just like practicing calligraphy, you need not only ancient inscriptions but also good teachers; the Bible is the copybook and the Holy Spirit is the teacher!
The Way of Neutralization
I often associate calligraphy with spiritual life. Sun Guoting of the Tang Dynasty said in the "Preface to the Book of Records" that he is very profound and pertinent: "Beginners learn to distribute, but strive for fairness and justice. Now that they know the truth and pursuit of dangers, they can return to peace and justice. In the beginning, it is said that it is not enough, in the middle, it is overachieving, and in the end, it is through. On the occasion of the meeting, everyone will be old."
Xiang Mu of the late Ming Dynasty said in "Elegance on Calligraphy" that the highest ideal in calligraphy is called "neutralization", and the ultimate level of neutrality is "poor change, integration of great achievements, and neutralization." The modern Xiong Bingming explained: "Although neutrality is nothing special, it is not poor. On the contrary, it is the greatest wealth. Just like sunlight, it seems to be only white, but it includes all colors." ("Theoretical System of Chinese Calligraphy", reprinted in 2002)
The same is true for spiritual life. The older you get, the more stable your life becomes, the more loving you are, and the more gentle you are. But you also have more faith, and the more certain you are in God and God’s words. Just as calligraphy becomes more and more prosaic later on, it becomes more and more full, impartial, both strong and soft, both beautiful and quality. In the end, it is the growth and enrichment of life.
The completion of calligraphy is also the completion of personality. Therefore, it is said that "calligraphy is like a person." Learning calligraphy means learning to be a human being. This is a lifelong effort. Very interesting, right? I use two other examples to compare the completion of spiritual life: it is like a barbecue, when it is roasted to a certain extent, the aroma finally overflows; or like the fruit on a tree, which is exposed to the sun for a long time and eventually becomes red, orange, fragrant, and sweet. It is the beauty of maturity, and it is connected with goodness and beauty!
After many years of teaching and pondering, I found that I already knew the path and tips for improving my calligraphy skills. Although there is still a long way to go, I will build on the correct foundation and continue to learn. At least so far, I am confident that this path is the right one.
The same is true for spiritual life. Decades of following, experiencing, understanding, and growing have also brought me great comfort and joy. I feel increasingly safe and secure inside, like a weaned baby in her mother's arms. I have no regrets about past successes, failures, or delays, because I know in my heart: "God takes a long time to do things suddenly!" (God takes a long time to do things suddenly!)
It makes me happy to see my own progress, and it also brings me great joy to see the transformation of my brothers and sisters! "A book is like a person." Even the calligraphy reflects the inner life history of the writer. We look forward to the time when "the time of general meeting comes, when people and books are all old", our spiritual life will be ready and suitable to meet the Lord!
Author profile
Pastor Xu Zongshi received his PhD in microbiology from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Later, he responded to God’s call and entered Trinity Theological Seminary to obtain a Master of Divinity. He has been pastoring for 26 years. He is currently the senior pastor of the Harvest International Center; this is a multi-ethnic church that focuses on the next generation of English ministry. He and his wife, Chen Meijin, have two sons. The eldest son is married and has three grandchildren.