Looking back at our first month in China;
During our stay in Beijing we attended a crash course in Chinese calligraphy to learn about the technique and to get to try it with a proper pencil and on special paper. It looks easier then it is, but it was fun to try.
Calligraphy
Just a short introduction to Chinese calligraphy; Chinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. It is very much like painting. It uses Chinese characters to communicate the spiritual world of the artist. Through the medium of form, way of handling the brush, presentation, and style, calligraphy as a work of art conveys the moral integrity, character, emotions, esthetic feelings and culture of the artist to readers affecting them by the power of appeal and the joy of beauty.
Calligraphy is not only a practical technique for writing Chinese characters, but also a unique Oriental art of expression and a branch of learning or discipline as well. Calligraphy forms an important part of Chinese culture and with a history of four to five thousand years, the art of calligraphy is rich and profound in content and has attracted the attention of artists the world over.
(Now, after 5 months here in China, I find the Chinese characters very interesting, and I try to learn how to write them as I learn the pinyin! It’s difficult, but I have a fascination for typography and in my eyes, I find Chinese characters beautiful.)
The character we practiced was the tiger. And funny enough we are both tigers, according to the Chinese zodiac. And this year ,2010, is the year of the Tiger, so that is quite cool. Well, that’s what we thought, but apparently, for all tigers, it’s associated with extremely bad luck. This belief is rooted deep in ancient Chinese astrology and is based on the position of the stars, causing conflict with certain zodiac signs. Thankfully , there are Feng Shui measures to bring a bit of good luck in a bad year including wearing red underwear, -socks, -shirts, -belts etc. Anything red, really! So I might go shopping for some red stuff then!!! :)
Chinese Zodiac: ‘Tiger’
…1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010!!! If you are born in any of these years, you are born in the year of the tiger. Starting from the day you are born, every twelve years mark the arrival of your zodiac year. The Chinese call this ‘ben ming nian’. As I’m a tiger I’ll write a bit about the horoscope for this sign.
Tiger Personality;
Tiger people are difficult to resist, for they are magnetic characters and their natural air of authority confers a certain prestige on them. They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding and soft in mysterious, unexpected places. They enjoy life full of challenges and unexpected events, like visiting unusual places and meet interesting outstanding people. Other people in their part are easily attracted by the tiger’s enthusiasm and the course of life. Tiger person finds a pleasure in unpredictable, and while other people would rather make a backward step, he/she is not afraid to explore new and unusual. But it is not that simple to interest the tiger. What they really need is first-hand experience. Usually open and frank, these people are likely to withdraw and you can be aggressive when trapped. As soon as the tiger person has regained his/her sense of security his/her confidence also returns, enabling him/her to set out once more. These people usually tend to trust their instincts, though there is another side of their personality, which assesses situations thoughtfully before launch any actions. Their friends usually secretly admire their determination and optimism, though sometimes may find it complicated to share the tiger’s enthusiasm and can be pushed away and left behind. In spite of the fact that tiger people can be courageous and generous friends, if they are not able to achieve what they want, they can be inflexible and self-centered. So if your friend was born in the year of the tiger, there will be highs and lows in your friendship, but the friendship itself will remain firm.
Tiger Career;
Because of the fact that people born in this year are urgent creatures and always in a hurry to get things done right, they usually choose to operate alone. Tigers like to work; they are hard-working and dynamic by nature. If you assign a task to a Tiger, the job will be undertaken and accomplished with enthusiasm and efficiency. Optimism, determination and initiative are their strong points. While some projects may succeed because tiger has the drive to see them through to the end, the other will be left in a half – way because of the tiger’s inability to deal well with failure. Tiger person becomes flustered when colleagues discover that he/she has misjudged a situation.
In spite of his/her enormous energy and commitment, tiger person must be able to sustain his/her optimism and drive or he/she could dissipate his/her efforts. Other people should hold the pursue strings, budged for the unforeseen and direct him/her to do what he/she is the best at. One of the most important ingredient in a partnership with this type is always to be focused on an objective.
Ideal job for the Tiger include;
Entrepreneur, Military officer, Politician, Musician, Writer, Poet, Designer, Theatre director, Stockbroker, Athlete, Film star, Trade union leader, Company director, Stunt person, Explorer, Teacher.
Hehe..I must say, a couple of the jobs in the last section actually match. – I have a bachelor degree in graphic design, am currently working as a teacher and I see myself as an explorer in many ways…!!
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