"She adds cultural background and historical stories to her lessons, and this can't be done without true knowledge of the subject," said Hu Xiaoyu, a 12-year-old middle school student. However, her students speak highly of the way she introduces cultural elements into her classes. Wu is modest and plays down her role as a teacher of Chinese culture. "The nation's cultural identity is defined by its language, of which the process of writing is an inherent part," she said. ![]() Wu believes that the value of calligraphy grows with time. ![]() "It is a good process to improve their inner peace, patience and observation skills," said Zhang Jing, the mother of one of the students. Wu first gives her proteges quiet time to observe and study an ancient master's strokes then gets them to reconstruct them before learning to copy them from memory. Wu firmly believes children should always compete to write, instead of writing to compete. "Despite the rewards they get from winning prizes, it's more important for them to concentrate on the art itself and never put the cart before the horse," she said. However, Wu carefully controls the number of competitions her students enter. Winning a prize is an immediate inspiration for them. Taking part in calligraphy exhibitions and competitions at various levels enables the students to see that their efforts have paid off, Wu said. "They just need the right guidance and encouragement." "We should not underestimate their abilities," she said. She said it does not take long for them to go from basic regular script to running script and even the cursive form. Wu thinks young students can learn new skills quite quickly. Wu insists her students learn from ancient masters directly, especially famous calligraphers of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, the golden age of Chinese calligraphy. "She (Wu) suggested several copybooks of calligraphy to me after she got to know me and let me make the final choice (of a certain calligraphic style)," said Xu Jiapei, a 13-year-old middle school student, who for seven years has practiced the calligraphic style of Zhi Yong, a master of the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618). Wu adapts her teaching in accordance with each student's ability, which makes her classes more individualized and rewarding. From the master she also learned how to pass on the art to children. Wu started learning the discipline of calligraphy from a master when she was 11. "We should learn the rhythm of change from Michelangelo's sculpture The Genius of Victory, which depicts the winner in detail and the loser only in rough lines, and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, often called the 'Fate', whose power comes from its highs and lows." They also enjoy the cultural and historical background she gives them along with instructions in the actual writing of various scripts. ![]() She said her students benefit from the quiet, calm environment she creates in her classes. ![]() Wu, 42, is a teacher at Huayuan Road No 2 Elementary School of Jinan, Shandong province, and conducts a weekly calligraphy class to students aged from 6 to 16. Wu Bin, 42, vice-chairwoman of Shandong Association for Young Calligraphers, teaches children calligraphy on Sept 4. BEIJING - Wu Bin has been teaching calligraphy for 20 years and believes the ancient art still has a role to play in the digital age, when typing on a keyboard is replacing handwriting.
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