Chinese Calligraphy: Interview with Michael Shiue

You may know Michael as the stately yet kindly gentleman at the calligraphy table of many a local cultural event.

You may have seen his work as it’s taking shape under his hands in a calligraphy demonstration, or on walls in a gallery exhibit, or, if you have ever come to the library around Chinese New Year, on the spring banners that grace each of the library entrances. As a non-professional but highly experienced and talented calligrapher, he’s given lectures and taught calligraphy classes at several places, one of them being the Plainsboro Township Recreation Center.

If you’ve ever had the chance to chat with him, you will find that he is friendly, down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and generous with both his time and knowledge despite his air of gravitas. For me, it was a pleasure to catch him for an afternoon on Zoom to conduct this interview on Chinese calligraphy, a subject on which I knew only the bare basics.

For those who are even more of a calligraphy “newbie” than I am, some background:

Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form.

It has a long and revered history, extending thousands of years back to “oracle bone script,” carved into animal bones as the earliest form of Chinese writing in the 2nd millennium BC. It eventually evolved into brush writing, which was generally done on rice paper. It was held in high regard among the intelligentsia as one of the four main arts, along with the playing of string instruments, painting, and the board game go, and still commonly taught and used in schools until well into modern days. From being a respected but practical tool through which examinations for government positions were conducted, it has slowly made its way further into the realm of pure art.

1. Can you tell us just a bit about who you are, where you’re from, and how you ended up in/around Plainsboro?

I was born and raised in Taiwan. In 1976, I came to America in pursuit of higher education. My first stop was Ohio since a friend of mine was stationed there, and I attended Ohio State University for my Ph.D. That being achieved, I worked in chemical research at Princeton University, New York City’s Rockefeller University, and several pharmaceutical companies, which was how I ended up settling in Plainsboro.

2. How did you get into calligraphy? How old were you when you started, and what caused you to pick it up?

You could call it family influence. When I was young, my father would write spring banners during the Chinese New Year. My job was to help him with tasks like grinding the ink and putting up the completed banners, and in the process of growing up in that type of environment, I found calligraphy a fun and interesting activity.

We had calligraphy classes in elementary school. One very clear memory I have is of going to school one morning and the teacher telling me, “Michael Shiue, go home and grab your calligraphy brush and paper. I’ve entered you in a local competition.”

So I went and grabbed my supplies and entered the competition…and, ha, didn’t place at all.

But the incident left a strong impression, and in the course of time, I entered more competitions, winning several prizes, which served to hone my confidence and interest.

3. Have you continued with it constantly since then? What is special about it compared to other forms of art and recreation?

In middle school, we no longer had dedicated calligraphy classes, but it was taught as part of the regular Chinese curriculum. The requirements were strict: we had to turn in two calligraphy assignments each week, and our weekly journal was written in calligraphy as well. So were exam essays. Even so, I viewed it as more of a hobby than an assignment, and it actually had a significant practical influence on my middle school life as well. Because I was good at calligraphy, I was chosen for leadership positions in the class, and every year I’d be appointed to represent the school in calligraphy competitions, which I quite enjoyed.

Afterward, because my studies were in the field of science, I had little time for calligraphy, but I’d still go to bookstores and libraries to flip through their calligraphy practice books to scratch the itch, so to speak. I think I found the strokes of calligraphy characters especially intriguing in their fluidity and grace.

I only really picked it up again after retiring in 2010 and having free time on my hands once again.

Since then, I’ve given lectures and performed calligraphy demonstrations at many charitable events in the Princeton area, in schools, colleges, Chinese schools, community centers, and libraries.

4. I know that you usually teach calligraphy at the Plainsboro Township Recreation Center, right across the street from the library. Are you still teaching right now, even with the pandemic?

Yes, it’s become an online class through Zoom, every Tuesday evening 7-9 PM.

There was definitely a bit of a struggle to get used to it at first. I actually went and bought a new computer just for the class – my old computer was a relic from 2009, and couldn’t keep up.

Now we’ve kind of settled into a groove. So that I can chat with them while still letting them see what I’m writing, I have both my phone camera and my computer webcam running during the class at two different angles. There’s also a PowerPoint file on the screen that they can refer to. It’s surprisingly effective, and the students have come to enjoy it for what it is.

That said, of course, they also tell me that they can’t wait till we’ve all gotten the vaccine and can go back to in-person classes. There are some things you just can’t do as well online.

I think one of the things that set calligraphy apart from some other recreational hobbies is that it can be melded with a broad spectrum of cultural arts, such as poetry, literature, and philosophy. Some say that calligraphy is the heart of Chinese culture, and I believe there to be a deep grain of truth in that.

Calligraphy is built upon a person’s entire cultural knowledge. It’s inextricably linked with the art you’ve seen, the literature you’ve read, the music you’ve heard, the philosophies you believe.

These days I use calligraphy in composing original poetry, or putting inspiring lyrics to paper, or transcribing the philosophical musings of literary classics. I’ve begun to dabble in brush painting – not very complicated brush painting, but what’s called ‘Freehand brush work’, which uses a minimal number of brush strokes to achieve an effect. It’s very interesting, and I’ve been able to incorporate the techniques and brush strokes that I use in the practice of calligraphy. I’ve included some samples here.

Calligraphy really extends to a great many different aspects of culture. It’s one of life’s more rewarding pleasures, an enriching activity to share with family and friends.

5. What’s been the most challenging or interesting calligraphy project you’ve worked on? Out of calligraphy works by the masters, is there one that you admire the most?

You could say that each project is a challenge…in the same way, you could say that no project is a challenge. Some are ground out painstakingly, some seem to spring up of their own accord.

The quality of a work of calligraphy can be judged on these aspects: the structure of the entire work (章法), the composition of each individual character (字法), the movement of each stroke (筆法), ink concentration (墨法), signature and seal (落款). A good work of calligraphy should have its own unique style. That can only be determined by the artist’s command of the basics, their cultural knowledge, and the broadness of their vision.

As I tell my students, there are two parts to calligraphy: the internal and the external. The first is technique. How you approach each character, what type of stroke to use, how to press the brush to the paper, how to turn your brush, how to make a hook…that’s all technique. It’s something you learn painstakingly and perfect with practice.

The second part extends beyond those technical attributes. It’s when you instill something of yourself into your letters so that your writing has its own spirit, different from everyone else’s. This is difficult both to teach and to explain. It’s the difference between seeing work and feeling a certain flair, a particular flavor to it, as compared to another work that might be technically perfect but colorless.

Internal work is very important, but once you’ve reached a certain level, the only way to improve is to focus on the external.

You can see external work at play in the works of two of the masters: Yan Zhenqing (顏真卿) and Liu Gongquan (柳公權). They were both known for their regular script. Of course, they were both quite perfect in technique. But with the same brush, the same paper, the same ink, the same technique, you’ll see that Yan Zhenqing’s hooks are different from Liu Gongquan’s hooks. Why? That’s external work.

Have you seen Wang Xizi’s (王羲之) calligraphy? It was fluid, airy. Compare it to Yan Zhenqing’s, which was known for its strength and force. Yan Zhenqing was famous for being a statesman of unshakeable integrity, tough and direct, while Wang Xizi was a wanderer writing beautiful poems.

Another example is Master Hong Yi (弘一法師). Before he took monastic orders, he was an artist, training in song and theater. His writing in the early stage of his life was lovely, but it was completely different from his writing after his ordination.

: Yan Zhenqing (顏真卿)

: Liu Gongquan (柳公權)

: Wang Shizhi (王羲之)

: Master Hong Yi, before ordination (弘一法師出家前)

: Master Hong Yi, after ordination (弘一法師出家後)

Samples of the writings of different calligraphy masters; hover over each image for more information

6. Supposedly there are many different styles in calligraphy. Can you give us a brief introduction to them, or at least to the ones that you personally like the most?

Calligraphy can be divided into several styles:

Oracle bone script 甲骨文

Seal script 篆書

Clerical (official) script 隸書

Regular (standard) script 楷書

Semi-cursive (running) script 行書

Cursive (grassy) script 草書

Each style has its own features. I’ve dabbled in every style, but my favorite is semi-cursive, which lies between regular script and cursive script. It emphasizes creativity and flow; when it leans towards looseness and spontaneity it’s called running cursive, and when it leans towards the more prim and proper it’s called running standard. It allows freedom in the movement of the brush and the length and thickness of the strokes between characters, and flexibility in form and structure, making it a good medium for calligraphy as a performative art.

I’m also fond of clerical script. It has a lot of character. There’s a sense of smoothness and spaciousness to it.

I work in regular script as well, but regular script is very, very difficult to write well. It’s the “standard” script, the one that doesn’t allow you to hide flaws behind individuality. People say that any handwriting weaknesses can be immediately spotted in regular script. If a hook isn’t hooked properly, if anything isn’t quite right, it’s glaringly obvious. With other scripts, you might say, “Hey, that’s just my style!” Regular script doesn’t allow that. It’s quite unforgiving.

That leads us back to semi-cursive script, which is, conversely, the best script to display style. I’ve found that to be true on a personal level: my semi-cursive script changes with my mindset; it’s a style that molds itself to how you feel in the moment.

And then there’s cursive script. Cursive script can be wonderful, but it’s difficult to do well. For one thing, if your ability isn’t there, your cursive might be illegible. And another problem, a rather awkward one, is that it’s easy to mess up your characters. Cursive is unquestionably stylish, but there’s one important thing I would like to say about style: it’s necessary to understand the fundamentals first, to firmly master walking before flying off to dabble with more advanced aspects.

Zhang Xu (張旭) is a calligraphy master justifiably famous for his cursive script, which was explosive and sprawling, and fantastic. But we’ve discovered a few extant examples of his regular script, and that was also first-rate.

Zhang Xu’s cursive vs regular script

7. How do you choose which style you use for a project?

This is a broad question, and there’s really no set answer. When planning a piece, I often ruminate on things such as the contents of the writing, the author’s intent, and their inspiration. It’s not a set process: sometimes it’s a project that’s been brewing in my mind for a long time before being put to paper, while other times it’s a flash of inspiration that strikes at just the right moment.

8. They say that you can tell a lot about a person by what that person’s calligraphy looks like. And it’s an art that requires a lot of focus and concentration — so even while it reflects character, it also helps in building and strengthening character. Would you agree with that?

Calligraphy certainly allows for the manifestation of personal style. Old Chinese sayings such as “The letter is a picture of the heart” (字為心畫) or “Their writing is as their person” (字如其人) reflect the view that a person’s personality shines through their calligraphic works. Handwriting and personality do seem to tap into each other: bold and forceful, or pliant as water, or steady and mature.

But you can’t take it as an ironclad marker, or use it to judge if a person is of good moral fiber. A flip side argument is Qin Kuai (秦檜), whose name lives in infamy in Chinese history, who is known for being a traitor and for causing the death of loyal general Yue Fei – but if you look at the writings he left behind, his handwriting was actually beautiful.

So even though there might be hints in a person’s calligraphy to aspects of their character, calligraphy isn’t some type of morality indicator or a mirror to the soul.

One thing is for sure: calligraphy requires long years of practice and a stable, solid mindset, and in this way, it does train a person’s patience and perseverance. It also requires close attention to detail, so you can piece together the best way to portray each character.

9. Would you say that anyone can get into calligraphy? For instance, my handwriting is terrible and my hand’s a bit shaky, and my forays into calligraphy as a kid were not successful. Do you think I can develop a good hand?

Of course, natural talent is very important. We can’t all be Wang Xizhis. But hard work can take you far. If you work hard and follow the fundamental rules, learning the ins and outs of structure and arrangement, you can definitely produce some decent results. It’s the “internal work” we talked about earlier, a technique that you can master just by putting in the time and the effort.

How do you control your strokes? How do you control your lines? How do you control the concentration of your ink? How do you arrange the space of your writing? Once you get that down, you’ll be a competent calligrapher.

One thing I’ve discovered with the students in my class is that they’re at the stage now where they all have quite attractive handwriting – as in, their penmanship is good, their regular writing with a pen or pencil.

Beyond that is external work. How do you reflect your own character through your writing? That takes it to another level.

10. Of course, we’re in America here. How easy or hard would you say it is to introduce Chinese calligraphy to non-Chinese? I remember that you had at least one student who wasn’t Chinese in the class at the Recreation Center. Did he already know how to write Chinese? Or did he just trace the strokes of a character like a symbol?

It’s unquestionably more difficult to learn calligraphy in America. I think that for a non-Chinese speaker to learn calligraphy, it’s even more so. If you have even a basic understanding of Chinese, it makes things much easier. I have many non-Chinese students in my class at the recreation center: Japanese, Korean, Indian, Russian, American, people from all over the world. They like Chinese culture and want to understand it a little more.

It comes more easily to Japanese and Koreans, probably because of the similar structures between those languages and Chinese. It’s harder for Indians, Russians, and Americans…they’re intrigued by the imagery of the characters, but if they don’t understand the meaning, sooner or later they’ll lose interest.

11. If someone wanted to start learning calligraphy in America, what advice would you have for them?

I think the most important thing is to learn the basics of the language. In this way, while you’re learning calligraphy, you know what you’re writing, and that’s the only way to maintain interest through a long period of time and not eventually lose your passion.

12. Even among the younger generation of Chinese, as far as I can tell, calligraphy is not as common a skill as it once was. I know that I had no calligraphy lessons after starting junior high, and perhaps they no longer teach it in elementary school, either. Do you think calligraphy is in danger of dying out?

The meaning of calligraphy has gradually distanced itself from a practical writing tool and moved towards a pure form of art. Some people emphasize that Chinese calligraphy should focus on the meaning of the words and build upon that foundation, while others stress the visual effect, creating beauty through strokes, ink color, and composition.

Personally, my view is that if calligraphy is divorced from the meaning of the words, it’s no longer calligraphy but another form of brush painting.

But the times are moving along. It’s not just calligraphy – in this era of computers, tablets, and phones, people are writing less, period. What if technology advances even further? Let’s say we have a future with brain-implanted chips so that even typing is unnecessary. Humanity is constantly moving forward, and some things will inevitably fall by the wayside.

13. On that slightly depressing note…Chinese New Year is coming up! How are you celebrating it this year?

Because of the pandemic, I’ll probably just spend it at home, have a reunion dinner, write some calligraphy, and – taking advantage of modern technology – share it online with friends.

14. Of course, for certain unfortunate reasons, this year is a little different; the library’s Chinese New Year celebration, for instance, is very different from how it was in years past. How do you usually celebrate? Do you usually spend it in the States?

Yes, I usually spend Chinese New Year in the US. I’ve been here since 1976 and only spent maybe two Chinese New Years in Taiwan. If it weren’t for COVID-19, I’d spend it, as usual, gathering with a bunch of friends, writing spring banners and gifting them to people, spreading the joy and festivities.

You can register for Michael’s calligraphy class (which currently takes place online) here.