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by Mike Mei (Author)
Being in a foreign country, immersed in the great atmosphere of western culture, what is still in my heart is the quintessence of China, and the DNA of Chinese culture still flows in my blood. The United States is a multi-ethnic country, and the cultural essence of various ethnic groups blooms here like the flowers of spring. Chinese calligraphy, the gem of Chinese culture with a history of 3,000 years and the genius of the world that has shocked the history of art, has been splendid in this melting pot! The sages said: There are at least two aspects in life, one is life and the other is spirit. Once one settles in a foreign place, there will be spiritual pursuits; cultural factors will become active, childhood dreams will come into life, and flowers will bloom in the cradle of multiculturalism... In the educational world dominated by western culture, eastern culture and Chinese culture are not featured prominently, especially in art departments in universities. I am honored to be a practitioner and inheritor of Chinese calligraphy, and I am a frequent guest speaker in various schools and museums in New England, such as Harvard and Wellesley universities, giving lectures, demonstrations and exhibitions, etc. These invitations compensate for the neglect of Chinese calligraphy in the main curriculum and allow students to witness the creative process of Chinese calligraphy as an art form. In Asian art departments of western universities, there are capable people who study Chinese calligraphy theories from the perspective of westerners, but only a few who are capable of doing calligraphy. To answer this need I felt compelled to take up a teaching role, shuttling between colleges, high schools, and elementary schools.
