VIEWS Research Cluster Hosts Chinese Calligraphy Workshop With Roland Buckingham Hsiao
The VIEWS research network's summer Visiting Fellow, Roland Buckingham Hsiao, led a hands-on Chinese calligraphy workshop for the group, combining teaching with practical writing exercises. The session covered traditional calligraphy styles and the adoption of Chinese writing elements by other languages and traditions, including a discussion of Wang Xi-zhi's 4th-century Lanting Xu, a work known only through later copies.
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The post frames the workshop as part of a broader shift in the research cluster toward experiential and embodied methods, suggesting that some scholars see practical engagement with writing as complementing purely theoretical study. The example of the Lanting Xu, copied repeatedly even with its corrections intact, hints at ongoing academic debate about whether calligraphy's value lies in its aesthetic result, its performative process, or both.
- Visiting Fellow Roland Buckingham Hsiao led a Chinese calligraphy workshop for the VIEWS research cluster.
- The session paired traditional teaching with practical, experiential writing exercises.
- Discussion included the historical Lanting Xu manuscript and questions about how calligraphy is defined and valued.
Chinese Calligraphy Practice Brush Set — This kit brings the hands-on experience described in the workshop right to your own desk, letting you practice traditional brushwork and feel the physicality of writing that Roland emphasizes. It's a great way to explore calligraphy as embodied practice rather than just theory, complete with brushes, ink, and paper to get started.
See Chinese Calligraphy Practice Brush Set on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: viewsproject.wordpress.com — View All Posts Viewsproject, 2026-09-24
Published there as: “Experiencing writing at our recent Chinese calligraphy workshop”
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