The Straits Times reported on 29 Dec 2013 that more youth
are learning Chinese calligraphy today.
With his back straight and arm poised over a sheet of rice
paper, seven-year-old Joshua Poh diligently traced out Chinese characters like
"sheng", which means life, with a writing brush known as the mao bi (毛笔).
He did this repeatedly during a 90-minute session under the
guidance of his Chinese calligraphy teacher, Madam Chang Ong Ying, 65, who
taught him the strokes and how to hold the brush.
"The classes are fun as I get to write words that I'm
learning in school with a brush," the Zhangde Primary School pupil said
yesterday.
Together with his five-year-old brother Ian, Joshua was
attending a youth calligraphy class at the Waterloo Street premises of the
Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore (CCSS).
An art form with its roots in the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000
years ago, Chinese calligraphy is gaining popularity among the young in
Singapore.
Attendance at youth Chinese calligraphy classes is rapidly
growing. When the was first started in 1985, there were only one class of six
students. But this year, 20 youth classes were offered with 180 students
attending the classes every weekend.
Parents such as Madam Poh Yu Ching, 42, said the classes
give her two sons - Arun, 9 and 17 year old Ajay Bhattarel - great exposure to
Chinese culture. Her husband is Nepalese.
Madam Poh, a teacher, said: "Most subjects in school
are taught in English, so Chinese calligraphy classes can help them stay
connected to their culture."
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