Learning Calligraphy: Chen Kuoye’s Story 陈扩业学习书法的故事

On 28 January 2011, the Chinese newspaper Zaobao reported the story of an 83 year-old Chen Kuoye and his interest in Chinese calligraphy.

Chen Kuoye developed an interest in Chinese calligraphy when he was 28 years old. At the beginning, learning calligraphy for him was all about hard work. He was not supposed to place his hand on the table, and the writing strength must come not only from his hand but also from his abdominal muscles. He spent two whole years practising before he could master the skills. However, after he worked as a carpenter, he had less time to practice it. He could only take some times off during the off peak periods to earn some extra cash by writing New Year couplets for his fellow villagers.

When he retired, he was more than 50 years old. In order to participate in calligraphy competitions, he started practicing very hard again. He would spend at least half an hour a day in calligraphy. Finally, he won a national calligraphy competition organised by Bishan Community Club and a national Huichun (writing on the spot) competition organised by the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore. He said: ‘These two winnings have inspired me a lot.’

Chen Kuoye currently works as a cleaner in the Ngee Ann Polytechnic. After his daily routine of cleaning the floors, he would use a brush made by him to write on the floor. Every day, he is seen by many students writing on the floor with water, demonstrating his Chinese calligraphic skills. He chooses to write on the floor with water in order to save money on buying ink and paper. After writing, the water will evaporate, leaving no trace of his writing on the floor.

Many people are quite curious about his practice of writing on the floor. After having a chat with him, a lecturer engaged him to give a talk about his learning and understanding of Chinese calligraphy, hoping that the talk would inspire the students. Inspiration indeed!

Second year student Wang Xiaozheng, 20, learns from this old uncle that in learning Chinese language and culture, there is a need to have a natural environment and cultural atmosphere. She said in an interview: ‘The recent announced changes to be made to the mother tongue language curriculum place greater emphasis on real-life usage. However, this type of learning is coercive, because students learn the Chinese subject for examinations. I think the key thing is that the students must have interest in the subject, and this can be achieved only when we live in a cultural atmosphere.’

Another student Zheng Suxin, 19, also feels the same way. She feels that at a deeper layer, once we can see the beauty of our culture, we will naturally develop an interest in it. She learns from this old uncle that for things that we are interested in, we should not give up easily.

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一月28日，联合早报报道了83岁校工陈扩业与书法的故事。

陈扩业对书法的兴趣，是在28岁那年养成的。21岁从中国来到新加坡的他，原本是名小贩，后来开始学习木工。开始学习书法时，陈扩业感到非常吃力，练字时手不但不能靠着桌子，而且力度不仅来自手部，腹部也要使力。他花了整整两年才掌握技巧。可是，当上木工后，他练笔的时间也跟着减少了，只是趁工程淡季时，写一些春联卖给村里的人赚点小钱。

50多岁退休以后，陈扩业为了参加一场书法比赛，再度提笔加紧练习，每天至少练半个小时。后来，他赢得了碧山民众联络所主办的全国书法比赛，以及书法协会主办的挥春比赛。他说：“这两个冠军荣誉给了我很大的鼓励。”

陈扩业目前是义安理工学院的清洁工人。他平时除了用大扫把扫地，也用自制的大毛笔在地上写字。许多学生经常见到他在校园内以黑砖地板为纸，以清水为墨，即兴表演书法。选择在黑色砖上用清水写字，是为了节省纸和墨的钱。写完后，等清水蒸发了，地上也不留痕迹。

陈扩业在地上写大字的做法引起了很多人的好奇。一位中文系讲师和他聊过后，决定邀请他到课堂上分享书法心得，借此启发学生。它的确是有启发了学生。

二年级生王晓铮（20岁）从这位老伯伯身上领悟到华文和中华文化的学习，应该要在一个自然的环境和氛围中推广。她受访时说：“最近推出的母语教改，讲求学习实用的华文，但这样的学习仍然是强制性的，学生还是为了考试而读华文。我认为关键是学生自己要感兴趣，而这只能通过强化文化氛围达成。”

另一名同学郑素鑫（19岁）也有同感。她觉得，文化是深层的，一旦看到它的美，兴趣便会油然而生。她从老伯伯身上也学到了，自己感兴趣的事，千万不可轻言放弃。

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