Calligraphy works by Huang Ke
For many Chinese, calligraphy is an art that takes years — if not decades — to hone and perfect. But for 33-year-old handwriting hotshot Huang Ke, the path to penmanship prominence was fast-tracked by China’s social-media users.
Huang owes his fame to a single video posted earlier in the year. So far, this short clip of Huang writing Chinese characters on rice-paper has been viewed over 15 million times, and shared by some 40,000 Weibo users.
The young man is also credited with creating his own style of calligraphy, known as jinlan ti — examples of which have crept into several video game titles since Huang’s rise to online stardom.
Despite his new renown, Huang resists the label of calligrapher. As he puts it: “There has never been a real Chinese calligrapher in history who was under the age of 40.”
Born in 1982 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Huang began studying calligraphy as a child under the tutelage of master Qian Facheng. For many years though, calligraphy was little more than a hobby for Huang. Yet, his recent Internet notoriety has led him to refocus on his relationship with this timeless art. Shanghai Daily recently caught up with Huang to discuss his past and his online celebrity.
Q: Were you forced to learn calligraphy when you were little? Do you still remember the first time you saw an example of calligraphy?
A: No, I had calligraphy lessons at my primary school and gradually I fell in love with it.
Today, I can still remember the first time I saw a piece of calligraphy. It smelled terrible. One day, I was going to my teacher’s office at school and he was practicing calligraphy. Wow, how it smelled — like rotten eggs! I had to stand beside him for 10 minutes, which left a bad impression on me. Later, I learned that if the ink quality is poor, then it will smell bad.
Q: What are three words that you think best describe Chinese calligraphy?
A: Fair. Everyone, whether they’re rich or poor, can pick up a brush.
Individuality. Everyone writes in a different way. Large-scale production has brought us many conveniences, but it has wiped away our individuality. Today, many people are seeking their own individuality, and calligraphy is a good way to find it.
Luxury. Let’s put aside the art and historical aspects of calligraphy. Writing on rice paper is a way to return to a natural life. Now everyone writes with a keyboard, but calligraphy demands time — which is a luxury for most these days.
Q: Most dedicated calligraphy practitioners are elderly. Why are you, a young person, so drawn to it?
A: To be more exact, I’d rather be called a lover of calligraphy. There was once a time when I became quite isolated and had almost no communication with others. So I chose to write what I wanted to say on rice-paper using different brush-strokes and styles. Fortunately, I found my balance and now I like communicating with others. For me, calligraphy was also a cure.
Q: How did you come to shoot a video that proved so popular on the Internet? Were you prepared for how popular it would become?
A: I opened an online shop on Taobao.com selling brushes. Someone maliciously attacked the quality of my brushes, so I shot a video using the brushes in my shop. That clip became famous overnight and it was totally unexpected. The next day, I was sold out of brushes. I had to close the shop for four days, because I was out of stock.
Q: Why do you think your video was so popular?
A: First, usually calligraphy is done slowly, but I was much faster, which initiated some controversy.
Second, I used rhythmic background music which matched the rhythm of my writing, perhaps catering more to the aesthetic tastes of young people.
Q: Are you able to make a living now from calligraphy?
A: Yes, now I can totally live on calligraphy. I also have a Taobao shop, called Banbushouzao (半步手造).
Q: Today, many Chinese children are learning calligraphy, but many of them are being forced to do so by their parents. What are your suggestions?
A: I don’t recommend that small children practice calligraphy because their comprehension abilities are still undeveloped. What parents should do is to initiate an interest in writing.
Q: There is an old Chinese saying that a person resembles the characters they write. Can you see your own personality in your writing?
A: Yes, there is a reason for this saying. I’m able to write characters in various styles, which echoes my mixed personality. Sometimes I am quiet, sometimes wild, and sometimes a bit sentimental.
Q: Do you have any interest in other traditional Chinese stuff?
A: I like Chinese porcelain and some craft products.
Q: You developed your own calligraphy style, which has been used in some computer games. What makes your characters such a good match for these games?
A: I have to credit my previous experience as a photographer, as I often met with designers during that time. Design is one of my main considerations on the rice paper. Maybe that’s the reason why my characters were chosen.
Source: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/Calligrapher-finds-brush-with-fame/shdaily.shtml
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