I studied Chinese calligraphy in Hong Kong and Peking (as it was then) in the seventies. I translated a local book on calligraphy and scroll-making into English though goodness knows where it is now. And with my calligraphy teacher here in Hong Kong — the elegant Liu Bai Ya-mei (an unusual four-character name, most Chinese names being two or three characters; and likely indicating Mongolian heritage) — I learned how to turn rice paper calligraphy into Chinese scrolls. How to make the scrolls that is.
I thought again about all of this, and how much I'd enjoyed it, when I read this article in today's South China Morning Post. And remembered that for years thereafter I would practice my Chinese brush calligraphy, particularly drawn to the likes of the poet and calligrapher Li Bo (aka Li Bai, 701-762) who liked to get drunk and splash around with "crazy characters", rice paper, ink and ink stone all on the ground, pouncing, wild brush in hand. I copied this style after many a wine on many a time when I lived in Shanghai.
Getting drunk and doing calligraphy has a long and honourable history in Chinese culture. Promise.
Google image search on "Bei-Wei calligraphy" shows many fascinating styles including the one discussed in this article, the one that is native, as it were, to us here in Hong Kong, and yet appears to be dying out.
The Bei Wei Shu Fa or 北魏書法
Literally "calligraphy of the Northern Wei Dynasty". Wayback Archive
