The Ancient Art of Chinese Calligraphy

Students poured ink into wells and dipped their brushes to try their skills at this ancient art form, which Dr. Luo said originated some 3,000 years ago. Chinese characters have gone through many transformations over the centuries, he said, but the art of calligraphy is still very much practiced in Taiwan, China (including Hong Kong), Japan, Korea, and Singapore and to a lesser extent the Philippines and Vietnam. Essentially decorative handwriting, calligraphy is an abstract art that uses Chinese characters to express thoughts and emotions, Dr. Luo told the students. “You don’t need to know Chinese to appreciate its beauty,” he said, noting that it can even be used to write English. Dr. Luo said that over the centuries, masters of calligraphy such as Zhoung You, who lived from 151-230 during the Han Dynasty, had greatly contributed to the art of calligraphy by establishing most of the techniques. You was a prominent teacher who taught his students to immerse themselves in nature and express their feelings upon observing cloud formations, trees, or birds, for example. Wang xi-zhi (303-361), who lived during the Jin Dynasty, is considered the best calligrapher in history, but his art was so revered by an emperor in the Tang dynasty that all of his art is buried along with the emperor. Dr. Luo said the different scripts are seal script, called Zhuan Shu in Chinese; clerical script, called Li Shu; standard script, called Kai Shu; semi-cursive script, called Xing Shu; and cursive script, called Cao Shu. 

Dr. Luo has been practicing Chinese medicine in Austin for 10 years. Earlier, he worked as an engineer for nearly 10 years after earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from UCLA.  While volunteering with the Tzu Chi Foundation in northern California, he discovered a passion for Chinese medicine and ended his engineering career to pursue a different path. He received his training at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco.