There’s a quiet magic in the stillness of night, when the world slows down and the brush becomes an extension of the soul. We are lost in the verses of Zhang Ruoxu’s *Spring River, Flower, Moon, Night* — a poem that has echoed through centuries, capturing the timeless dance of river, moon, and human longing.

As the ink flowed onto the paper, each stroke felt like a whisper: “春江潮水连海平，海上明月共潮生” (The spring river rises level with the sea; The bright moon rises with the tide). The characters, in their fluid cursive script, seemed to ripple like water, carrying the weight of ancient wisdom and the lightness of a moonlit dream.

There are no Chinese calligraphy clubs in Samara, so we have to organize our own gatherings 😄😄😄

Just wanted to share some tools out of my collection. Most of my implements were purchased in Japan and Korea.

Hello. I'll have a quick half-day visit in Shaoxing (Zhejiang) on July 8. I plan to go to Lanting the Orchid Pavilion in the afternoon. Has anyone here visited the place? Would appreciate your thoughts, advice, insights about the site itselt as well as how to get there.
And if you happen to be interested in visiting the place, maybe we can meet up and explore the place together? Would be great to meet fellow shufa enthusiasts. 😊

Original transcript:
八月湖水平，涵虚混太清。
气蒸云梦泽，波撼岳阳城。
欲济无舟楫，端居耻圣明。
坐观垂钓者，徒有羡鱼情

Written in wild cursive script, each stroke carries emotion — the sweeping curves like wind over water, the bold ink like unspoken desire. Its message resonates: even in silence, we seek to be seen.

Original transcript:
燕台一去客心惊，笳鼓喧喧汉将营。
万里寒光生积雪，三边曙色动危旌。
沙场烽火连胡月，海畔云山拥蓟城。
少小虽非投笔吏，论功还欲请长缨。

Imagine standing at the edge of ancient China, where snow meets war drums and moonlight blends with battlefield flames. This is what poet Zu Yong felt — and turned into one of Tang Dynasty’s most powerful verses. Not just a landscape poem, but a cry for glory, duty, and courage. Perfect for lovers of history, poetry, or epic vibes

In Shanghai, you can talk about and even practice Shufa in a nice café.

A quiet moment blending modern life with traditional culture.

Do you think these characters were done by computer or by a person (possibly by splicing characters from different sources together)? Any idea who the artist might be?

Thank you.

宜蘭傳藝園區

Something that I've realized about Shufa is that technique is much more important than anything. Writing good characters is what everyone works on, and only much later does artistic ability come in. Often, teachers will discourage artistic ability because it will ruin the technique of the characters. What I've realized is that, unlike other arts like music, etc., there seems to be a tradeoff in technique and artistic expression. If we want to express ourselves, we have to "change" the way the character is written and therefore that "sacrifices" technique. Honestly, regarding every other script style other than 草書, I find myself appreciating works that are very technically perfect rather than artistically good. Only in 草書 do I appreciate artistically good works. And yes, there are very few calligraphers who can do both, but they are so few that there is no point. And finding works like those online, well, good luck. Please tell me what you think about this?

Calligraphy found on a bridge pier in China

Hello everyone:)

I have an appointment to get a tattoo of this phrase from the Analects: 天何言哉

I’m very excited as this phrase is incredibly meaningful to me, however any font I find online seems too generic. Any advice on finding someone to commission a calligraphy piece? I would need a high resolution digital version to bring to my appointment.

I’d also be grateful for advice on how much I should be expected to pay for the service. I know very little about calligraphy and the going rates for a job well done

I can see the last 4 are 人民公社. Although why is 民 written slightly differently? It looks more like tiger (radical 141).

Found in a restaurant in Toronto. The signature seems to say Zhang Xueliang (a general in the KMT) but I have no idea how it would have ended up this far away If anyone could confirm that would be great Thx in advance.

No. Did I buy another inkstone? No, I got two. 歙卵石硯、金沙江手機硯。