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Mr.
Chou Chang Hu |
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I am
Quek Keng Hwang, better known as Keng
amongst my English-speaking friends, and Qing Huan
to my Mandarin speaking associates. I am an
accredited Chinese Calligraphy instructress with the
People's Association of Singapore and a member of
the Hong Kong Association of Calligraphy and
Painting. I have conducted a course on Chinese
Calligraphy in English at Braddell Heights Community
Centre and held private lessons in my previous
studio.
I want to share with you, especially the English
educated, my personal experience on learning and
writing Chinese calligraphy.
From the age of 5, I stayed with my paternal aunties
family who were Nonyas and English speaking. I
completed my primary education at Raymond and St
Margarets Primary Schools and secondary education at
St Margarets Secondary School. My knowledge of the
Chinese language was non-existent as my aunties
family was Teochew and English speaking but entirely
disdained all things from China and particularly the
language. I almost thought that my motherland was
England. In the 60s, the English speaking students
were also not very friendly towards the Chinese
students and I was among the group who thought
speaking Chinese was an embarrassment.
I discovered the beauty of Chinese calligraphy in
Hong Kong where my family was expatriated. One day
on my way to the Chinese consul to apply for my visa
to visit China, I chanced upon a Chinese calligraphy
exhibition. I was amazed by the beautiful black
brush strokes and the many varied forms of Chinese
characters. I approached the calligrapher for
lessons. He was rather skeptical of my sincerity to
learn as I did not know the language. He,
Mr. Chou Chang Hu, is an excellent teacher and calligrapher.
In spite of my poor command of Mandarin and the
Cantonese dialect, I managed to learn Chinese
calligraphy with the help of four dictionaries. I
practiced diligently. Of course, there were times of
frustrations but all dissipated when my teacher
praised me for my good progress. Into my 3rd year of
writing the forms, he coached me to produce my first
calligraphy work which consisted of 56 characters,
each character of 7.5 cm. square. That piece of
work, which was a scroll of poem written in the
regular form and measured 60 cm x 190 cm hung up,
was entered in the calligraphy students competition
in Mei Xian, China and I was awarded the silver
prize. It is my masterpiece. I was asked by Mr. Chou
to join his calligraphy society and was extremely
elated. Years later when my family returned to
Singapore, I continued to attend calligraphy classes
and produced other works with merit but my
masterpiece is still my fondest.
My Mandarin has since improved.
Chinese calligraphy has not only awakened me to my
culture, it allows me to cultivate a healthy
lifestyle; I am more focused and calm. My posture
has since improved. I always feel happy after each
session of writing. I feel enriched and educated. It
gives me a wonderful sense of well-being. This is my
12th year of Chinese calligraphy and I wish to have
many more happy years of writing this beautiful art
form.
You do not have to know Mandarin to learn Chinese
calligraphy. Write Chinese calligraphy and learn
Mandarin the cool and skillful way.
Quek Keng Hwang
(Guo Jing Huan)
29.01.08
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