The Simple Art of Chinese Calligraphy: Create Your Own Chinese Characters and Symbols for Good Fortune and Prosperity

Practiced for over 5,000 years, Chinese calligraphy is arguably the most revered art form in the East. The Simple Art of Chinese Calligraphy is the complete, step-by-step beginner’s guide to creating the sacred characters of Chinese script—the fragile motifs of fruit and flowers that have deep meaning in Eastern philosophy, and the symbols of happiness and fulfillment.

In this unique guide, renowned calligraphy artist Qui Lei Lei teaches the philosophy of this ancient art and demonstrates how to create the most important symbols of Chinese folklore—Luck, Love, Happiness, and Long Life.

Chinese calligraphy calls for a meditative, relaxing focus on the task of creating unique, time-honored characters. As readers gather and arrange their materials—the four treasures—the author demonstrates how to perform the truly ancient ritual of preparing the mind and body for the practice. When readers create these unique symbols and signs, they will not only create beauty and rhythm on the page but also see how to connect with the spirituality that lies beneath much of the practice.

Next, easy-to-follow illustrations explain how to reproduce such popular Chinese imagery as the Three Friends of Winter, plum blossoms for peace and love; bamboo shoots for longevity, and the fronds of the pine tree for vigor and new life. Finally, readers can explore a series of step-by-step calligraphy projects, including greeting cards, place mats, decorative books, and T-shirts.

Qu Lei Lei was born in China in the 1950s but emigrated to England from Beijing after the cultural revolution in 1981. He tutored in Chinese art at Oxford University and has been a visiting scholar at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He lives in Wimbledon, South London.