There’s nothing more appreciated than offering or receiving blessings, especially during the lunar new year! 14 alumni attended a two-hour Spring Festival Couplets Calligraphy Workshop organised by Alumni Relations this January.
Starting the workshop light and easy, the instructor had the participants try their hand at writing different types of Chinese blessings. From experimenting with spring couplets to writing “福” (which means “Good Fortune”), and other decorative items such as lantern-shaped wall ornaments, our alumni were truly in for some fun and a cultural treat. Diving deeper into brush techniques and Chinese characters’ strokes, the instructor went on to explain how certain phrases were commonly written. For instance, there are a total of five types of strokes for writing the word “福” and four of them are the ones more commonly used.
Furnishing our alumni with further pockets of information, the participants learned how to position the ornaments at home. The instructor shared that in order for fortune to come, we should be sticking the word “福” upright. Placing it the other way would mean that fortune has already arrived! These fun facts were definitely intriguing and kept our alumni engaged throughout the workshop. The instructor also demonstrated an example of how the art of Chinese calligraphy can be weaved with the English alphabets.
The words ‘Happy New Year’ written in a Chinese calligraphy art style.
Participants were also taught how to hold the brush and practiced ur preferred type of strokes on practice papers, before the actual execution on the spring couplets material. Our alumni were pleased to hear praises from the instructor on their renderings. The nurturing environment really empowered the participants and kept us in high spirits.
This was a perfect way for us to celebrate our cultural identity while having a hands-on experience. Additionally, it was rewarding to be able to create something from scratch and be able to bring our crafts home. When asked if the participants would be interested in similar activities in the future, we had an overwhelming “yes, we would definitely consider similar events in future!”.
Participants practising their brushstrokes.
Our alumni, offering good fortune to all with their works!
