Chinese calligraphy is closely linked to the development of Chinese Characters. During this session, Ambassador Phoebe Liang D’Alessandro shares different writing styles, writing materials, and examples of Chinese Characters. A demonstration of Chinese calligraphy will be given, and participants will have a chance to practice writing their own Chinese characters with writing brushes.

Unlike the alphabetical language in the west, Chinese characters were constructed to indicate meanings as well as pronunciations. The earliest words are pictographs, which are sketches that depict objects. Chinese calligraphy and characters changed with writing materials (which include animal bones and shells as well as rice paper) and events in Chinese history, forming scripts, which are similar to using different fonts when typing on the computer. A calligraphy demonstration will be given in the class and each student will have a chance to practice writing one or two words.

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