1. Description of Our Community
Chinese calligraphy is the quintessence of Chinese culture. The Chinese characters are composed of dots and lines. Writing with a soft brush can especially show the characteristics of various fonts in different periods, which convey the beauty of lines, symmetry, principle, style, and artistic concept, representing thousands of years of history; therefore, calligraphy is indisputably the 'legacy of intangible culture'. In the historical township, Lukang, Changhua, there are many famous calligraphers especially, and every household is posted with spring couplets, making the town filled with scholastic atmosphere. 'Yuyuxuan Calligraphy Society' is located in Changhua City. The founder, Huang Wen-Chiung, is a Lukang native, who was deeply influenced by her family and started to learn calligraphy at a young age from Nien Wen-Yi, a famous calligraphy teacher in Lukang. Later, she won the High Distinction Award in the National Calligraphy Competition and then got theteaching certificate. Afterwards, she began teaching calligraphy in many elementary and middle schools and has been striving to promote Chinese calligraphy culture.
2. Summary of Our Project
Our project includes the following parts: 1. Introduction to the evolution and aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy fonts; 2. Conduct interview with calligrapher, Huang Wen-Chiung; 3. Visiting exhibitions of famous calligraphers; 4. Teacher Huang Wen-Chiung’s contribution to Chinese calligraphy promotion; 5. Discuss current status and outlook for calligraphy in Taiwan.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:4-6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
There are three computer labs, and each classroom in our school has a computer connected to the Internet through an academic network. We usually go to the computer labs to search for information, organize materials, and create web pages during class time or lunch break. On holidays, we use ADSL at home to work on this project.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. The computer skills of the team members were not sufficient enough, especially in the part of the web page production due to difficulty in understanding of parameters and programming. 2. Our members are in different grades and classes, so it was difficult to arrange a time for meetings except for holidays. 3. As there is so many relevant information about calligraphy, how to gather and condense appropriate materials for the project became quite challenging. 4. To acquire enough valid questionnaire, we spent excessive hours making sure people were filling in the questionnaire on the Internet, and calling 220 primary and secondary schools for interviews via telephone. 5. Being very nervous during the interview, particularly when the teacher asked us to do calligraphy right on the spot, of which most of us have no prior experience. Just to hold the brush properly was difficult enough for many of us.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
In recent years, computer, communication, and consumer electronics products have been popular, and fewer and fewer people have the patience to do calligraphy. As politics and modern technology have started jeopardizing this millennium culture, it is regrettable to see the continuous decline of calligraphy culture; what a massive impact it would be if we were to lose our own cultural characteristics. Chinese calligraphy teacher, Ms. Huang Wen-Chiung, is dedicated to promoting calligraphy in schools, women’s associations, community colleges, hospitals, religious places, etc., and also conducts cultural exchanges in the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Through this website, we hope to encourage more people to understand and appreciate the beauty of Chinese calligraphy and Teacher Huang Wen-Chiung’s enthusiasm in the promotion of calligraphy.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
A. Interviewing, questionnaire design, recording, material organization and report writing are related to “language arts”. B. Calculation and analysis of the data collected from the questionnaires and of the information obtained from telephone interviews with the primary and secondary schools in Changhua in regards to the execution of calligraphy classes are correlated to “mathematics and statistics” C. Complying with the legal requirements of intellectual property rights, applied information, and network technology are parts of “information education”. D. Understanding the meanings and value of “Chinese calligraphy” in traditional culture, the characteristics of various fonts, and how calligraphy enlightens our perspectives regarding philosophy and aesthetics of life are associated with “aesthetics and philosophy”. E. Participating in various group activities and learning to communicate and cooperate with others effectivelyare concerned with “comprehensive activity education”.
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