Wen Jiabao’s Handwriting: Distress Rejuvenates a Nation 温家宝的字：多难兴邦

Chinese Calligraphy is both a means of communication and a revered form of art, and the dividing line is often vague. It is also said to reveal the inner character of a person - one can detect the virtue of a writer by the beauty of his brushstrokes.

The Chinese people therefore always treasure the handwriting of calligraphy of their leaders. It is therefore not surprising that rulers, officials, politicians in the China have long used their graceful handwriting to cement their power and display their ‘inner character.’

In 2008, the Beichuan Middle School lost a thousand students in May’s devastating Sichuan earthquake. When Premier Wen Jiabao visited the school’s temporary quarters, he wrote four characters on a blackboard to inspire the students: "distress rejuvenates a nation", pointing out that despite all of the hardship that the Wenchuan earthquake had brought to the students, their families, and the people of Sichuan, it wasn't the end of the world.

After his departure, teachers and students could not bear to erase his chalk inscription, which was covered in plastic until the Sichuan Cultural Relics Bureau could devise a method for permanently preserving Wen’s handwriting.

"Those characters brought us strength. We keep them in our hearts," one freshman student told the reporter. "It'd be great if we could preserve that piece of blackboard forever." Lots of students and teachers at Beichuan Middle School supported this idea.

Wen is among many of the Chinese leaders who are good in calligraphy. Here are two pieces of his calligraphic works.

.

中国书法是传意的工具，也是一种受人敬畏的艺术，工具与艺术之间的界限经常模糊。据说它可以显现一个人的内心个性，从一个人所写的美丽的线条中可以看得出一个人的品德。

中国人一向珍惜他们领导的手迹。所以，长久以来，中国的统治者、官员、政治家利用他们优雅的字来加强他们的权力与表露他们的‘内心’，那就不令人惊奇了。

2008年5月，在灾难性的四川地震中，北川中学丧失了上千名学生性命的。当温家宝总理来到他们的临时校园时，他在黑板写了四个字来激励学生：多难兴邦。他指出虽然四川地震给他们、他们的家人、四川人民带来了所有这些苦难，但是这并不是世界末日。

温总理离开之后，学生们舍不得把这些粉笔字擦掉，以塑胶布把他们盖住，直到四川文物局想到永远保存温总理的手迹的方法为止。

一个新生告诉记者说：‘这些字给予我们力量。我们会永远记在心中。能把这片黑板永远保留着，那真是太好了。’北川中学的很多老师与学生都支持这个想法。

温家宝是中国领袖中书法写的不错中的一个。这里展示的是他的两幅作品。

Chew Nyee King 周仪卿

Chew Nyee King (Zhou Yiqing) has just completed a calligraphy course conducted by the Singapore Senior Citizen Calligraphy University Centre (SSCCUC) and was conferred the title of ‘Calligrapher of SSCCUC’ on 14 Nov.

Chew recalls her stay in Beijing eleven years ago and during the morning exercises in gardens, she used to see people practice Chinese calligraphy on the cement ground, using water-filled sponge attached to a wooden stick. The words written by them were beautiful. She told herself that one day she must also start learning Chinese calligraphy.

In 2007, while enjoying her happy old age by playing with grandchildren, she decided that she would turn her admiration for beautiful calligraphic works into zeal of learning the art. She therefore enrolled into a calligraphy course conducted by the Senior Citizen Calligraphy University Centre and started learning calligraphy from Professor Tan Siak Kwee.

In the process of learning, she realises that Chinese calligraphy is a difficult subject and there are no short cuts to success. At times, she felt like quitting the course. However, with the encouragement of her classmates, she learned a lot by discussing with them and this has confirmed her love for the art. She now also has a good understanding of the art. After three years of study, she finally completed the calligraphy course.

In order to improve her calligraphy, Chew hopes to continue practice calligraphy, attend calligraphy exhibitions, attend writing-on-the-spot sessions by famous calligraphers, and spend more times reading books on calligraphy.

The calligraphic work shown here as is one of her works that is accepted for display at the Graduates’ Calligraphy Exhibition held from 14 to 19 Nov at the Singapore Calligraphy Centre. The text of the calligraphy says:

‘The common interest of enjoying the sounds of the mountains has brought us closer together.’

.

周仪卿今年刚修完由新加坡老年书法大学所开办的三年书法课程，并于十一月十四日获得该中心授予‘书学研士’衔。

周仪卿回溯十一年前，寓居北京时，清晨到公园晨运时，常见许多人用棍子扎了海绵沾上水，就在地练习字法，而且写得很好。就对自己说：有朝一日，我也会好好地去学习书法。

2007年，仪卿在含饴弄孙之余，把她对别人的一手好字的羡慕，化作自己学习书法的热忱，毅然报名老年书法大学，师从陈声桂教授。

在学习过程里，仪卿认知书法是一门没有捷径可走的深奥的学问，也曾经有打退堂鼓的念头，但是在同窗好友互相切磋，相互鼓舞下，终于建立起对书法的热爱，领悟了书法的奥妙，经过三年的努力，现在已经从老年书法大学学成毕业了。

仪卿期盼继续学习书法，有更多机会可以参观书法展览，名家挥毫，并博览书法群帖，以使自己的书法能不断进步。

这里所显示的是仪卿的毕业展作品之一，内容的是：写其山水之清音，与余同好相善也。

Singapore Senior Citizen Calligraphy University Centre 新加坡老年书法大学

The Singapore Senior Citizen University Centre was registered and set up by the Singapore Calligraphy Association on 7 September 2004. It received its first batch of 13 students in 2005. These students graduated in 2007. The second batch of 14 students graduated in 2008. This year, the third batch of 17 students will have their graduation ceremony held on 14 Nov 09.
It is claimed to be the first of its kind of educational institutions in the South East Asian region. The main aim of the three-year programmes is to help mature students who are successful individuals from all walks of life, to reach a higher level of self-actualization and personal fulfilment. Students who successfully complete the course will be conferred the title of Calligrapher by the centre.

Besides attending normal lessons and practice calligraphy, students are also strongly encouraged to attend overseas cultural programmes conducted by Tongji University in Shanghai and organise overseas trips to widen their knowledge beyond calligraphy.

The study year is divided into two teaching semesters. The first and second semester start in February and July respectively. There are 13 weekly-lessons in each semester and each lesson lasts 3 hours. The course fee is S$1,200 per semester or S$2,400 per year.

The students must fulfil the following course requirements:

1. 80% class attendance,

2. Submit three calligraphic works that must be passed by the centre’s Examination Board, and

3. Submit 10 essays on topics decided by the centre.

The calligraphic works of this year’s students can be viewed at the Singapore Calligraphic Centre from 14 to 19 November everyday from 12 pm to 5 pm.

.

新加坡老年书法大学由新加坡书法家协会于2004年九月七日注册成立。它于2005年录取第一批13名学员。这一批学员于2007年毕业。第二批14名学员于2008年毕业。今年，第三批17名学员的毕业典礼将在11月14日举行。

据说这是东南亚第一所老年大学。它主要目的是要协助来自各行各业的成功人士实现更高一层的自我实现。成功完成课程的学员将获得该中心授‘书学研士’衔。

除了上课与练习书法之外，书大鼓励学员参加由上海同济大学主办的海外文化课程，与组团去海外旅行以增广书法外的知识。

每学年分为两个学期。第一学期于二月，第二学期于七月开学。每个学期上课十三次，每课三小时。每学期的学费为新元$1,200 或每学年新元$2,400。

每个学员要符合以下的课程条件：

1． 上满80%的课，

2． 提交三件书法作品通过“毕业生作品审查委员会”，与

3． 呈交十篇由校方指定题目的论文。

第三届学员的书法作品可于11月14日至19日期间，每天下午12时至5时到新加坡书法中心观赏。

The Three Rare Treasures of Calligraphy 三希堂法帖

Wang Xianzhi’s Zhongqiu Tie (Mid Autumn Manuscript) is one of the Three Rare Treasures of Calligraphy. The other two rare treasures are Wang Xizhi's Kuaixue Shiqing Tie (Fast Snowing and Sunning) and Wang Xun's Boyuan Tie (Letter to Boyuan). Dating from the fourth century, they all are regarded as the greatest masterpieces of calligraphic art and have been revered by generations of calligraphy enthusiasts as the most precious treasures.

Mid-Autumn Manuscript is said to be the authentic works of Wang Xianzhi. However, it is generally believed that it is the copy work of Mi Fu who was one of four most famous calligraphists in Song Dynasty. Since ancient time, this scroll has been praised as an excellent calligraphic model in the connecting ‘blood’ and ‘vein’. Only 22 characters are visible on this scroll, but they still demonstrate the feature of coherence. On each line, the characters or their strokes are connected in such a way to give a feeling of ‘one-stroke way of writing’, ie the whole line is written continously in one stroke. It is said to be the ‘one-stroke cursive script’ at its best.

In 1747, the three rare treasures, together with 134 selected calligraphic masterpieces from Wei, Jin, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties (dated from late fourth century to seventeenth century), were engraved into stone tablets and collectively known as The Calligraphic Masterpieces of the Hall of Three Rarities (Sanxi Tang Fatie). Emperor Qianlong commissioned the construction of the Chamber for Reading the Classics (Yuegu Lou) in the nearby Beihai garden and these carved stones were set into the interior walls of the Chamber, while the rubbings taken from them were widely disseminated as models for practicing calligraphy. The emperor kept the original three calligraphic works in the Hall of Three Rarities next to his living quarters.

Before 1924 when the last emperor was expelled from the imperial palace, Letter to Boyuan and Mid Autumn Manuscript were moved to the Palace of Longevity and Health (Shoukang Gong), the residence of the imperial honoured consort Jingyi (literally Respect and Virtue), dowager of the Tongzhi Emperor.

After 1924, the dowager Jingyi smuggled these two works out of the palace and sold them. After that, there was no news of their whereabouts until they appeared in Hong Kong in 1951. The two treasures were mortgaged to a foreign bank in Hong Kong and would have been sold abroad if not for the intervention of Premier Zhou Enlai, who authorized their purchase. In 1951, the two rarities were finally bought by the Chinese government and returned to Beijing Palace Museum. They are still kept in Beijing Palace Museum up to today.

The third calligraphic masterpiece Fast Snowing and Sunning was brought to Taiwan in 1949 and is currently kept in Taipei National Palace Museum.

.

.

王献之的《中秋帖》是中国书法的三希之一。其他二希是王羲之的《快雪时晴帖》与王询的《伯远帖》。这些写于公元四世纪的书法艺术中的精品，被世世代代的书法爱好者视为最珍贵的宝物。

《中秋帖》据说是王献之的正品。可是，一般相信它是宋代四大书法家之一的米芾的临作。自古以来，这幅帖就被认为是血脉相连的最好书法范本。整幅帖只有22字可辨认，但还是展示了融合的特色。每一条线的每一个字及线条都联系得给人以一笔完成的感觉。可说是‘一笔字’的最佳珍品。

1417年，这三件稀有宝物和其他134件魏晋唐宋元与清朝（公元四世纪末至十七世纪）的书法名帖被刻于石头上，合称《三希堂法帖》。乾隆王下令在北海园附近建造‘阅古楼’并把刻石装上内墙。拓本则广分给臣子，作为练习书法的范本。皇帝把三件稀品放在他的卧宫旁边的‘三希堂’。

1924年前，末代皇帝还没有被逐出皇宫之前，《伯远帖》与《中秋帖》被移到‘寿康宫’，那是贵太妃敬懿的住所。

1924年后，贵太妃敬懿把这两件作品私运出宫并把它们卖了。以后，它们的所在就无所闻了，直到1951年它们重现于香港。这两件宝物当时是被抵押给香港的一间外资银行。若不是周恩来总理的干涉，它们已经被卖到国外了。1951年，中国政府终于买下这两件宝物并归还北京故宫博物院。它们至今还由北京故宫博物院收藏。

第三件书法珍品《快雪时晴帖》在1949年被运到台湾，目前由台北故宫博物院所收管。