Donating 25 Million Yuan to "Save" and Carry forward Calligraphy Art Starting from Cultivation of Calligraphy Teachers
Yang was invited by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles to practice calligraphy
Yang (1st from the right) in the donation activity
On December 8, when Yang declared to donate 25 million Yuan for the calligrapher teachers training program undertaken by Chinese Calligraphers Association, it won warm applause from the audience at the site, including Zhao Shi, party group secretary and vice chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Hu Zhenmin, a member of the standing committee of CPPCC and president of China Literary and Art Foundation, Su Shishu, a member of the standing committee of CPPCC and chairman of Chinese Calligraphers Association and many famous calligraphers
This was the largest sum of donation received up to date. Within five years, it was expected to train and cultivate about 7,000 calligraphy teachers for primary and middle schools nationwide and calligraphy teaching researchers at the levels of province, prefecture and county, to save the traditional calligraphy art which is declining under the impact of computer. Su said, he was touched seeing a Zhuhai enterprise so devoted to calligraphy and charity.
Hu Baoli, vice president of China Association for Promotion of Minority Groups and executive vice president of Chinese Academy of Calligraphy and Painting, evaluated that Yang Feng is the best calligrapher among entrepreneurs and an excellent entrepreneur among calligraphers.
Impression: From "enthusiasm" in calligraphy to an "online celebrity" for public welfare
On December 8, 2016, the haze was blown away by a cold wind. Blue sky and white clouds were back to Beijing in the winter. At the office building of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, an artist attending the donation ceremony joked to the reporter of Nanfang Metropolis Daily, "The sky of the capital was touched by the entrepreneur from Zhuhai. We haven't seen such nice sunshine for a long time."
The entrepreneur mentioned by him is Yang Feng, chairman of the board of Great Aim Group. When Yang declared to donate 25 million Yuan for the calligrapher teachers training program undertaken by Chinese Calligraphers Association, it won warm applause from the audience at the site, including Zhao Shi, party secretary and vice chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Hu Zhenmin, a member of the standing committee of CPPCC and president of China Literary and Art Foundation, Su Shishu, a member of the standing committee of CPPCC and chairman of Chinese Calligraphers Association and many famous calligraphers.
This was the largest sum of donation received up to date. Within five years, it was expected to train and cultivate about 7,000 calligraphy teachers for primary and middle schools nationwide and calligraphy teaching researchers at the levels of province, prefecture and county, to save the traditional calligraphy art which is declining under the impact of computer. Su said, he was touched seeing a Zhuhai enterprise so devoted to calligraphy and charity.
The charitable action has attracted a lot of attention from the public. It has been covered by several media and praised by the art circles, as a result of which the private entrepreneur Yang Feng who was rare to be seen on news media had instantly become an "online celebrity". People cannot help asking who is Yang Feng and whether it was worth such a large donation to carry forward the calligraphy.
As the leader of Great Aim Group, Yang Feng appears a bit "derelict in duty": He loves photography. For seven years in a row, he has flied to the West of the US in different seasons to frame the marvelous spectacles in his mind. Finally, his album of photos Pursuing Dream in the Wilderness won him "Best of All Gold Award" and "Best Exhibit Award" in the 66th ceremony of Benny Award which is honored as "Oscar of Printing Industry" in the US and became the first Chinese to win this honor.
Influenced by the elderly, Yang was obsessed with calligraphy since his childhood. When he was small, he practiced it with water on bricks. He was told by the elderly that he should make the bricks wet through with water in each practice. Today he has collected thousands of calligraphy copybooks of famous calligraphers and has become a member of Chinese Calligraphers Association. He calligraphy works has ever been used by China Post as first-day cover of postage stamp for the Celebration of 65th Anniversary of the PRC and created a record of 130,000 Yuan in autumn auction of single character.
On January 9, 2017, when Yang attended the capping ceremony of Great Aim International Building, when asked by the media on the donation of 25 million Yuan for inheritance of calligraphy art, he answered, "Other than donation, I have also devoted myself to the project. In the following, I will participate in the activities of the program, and I will also be a teacher to train the calligraphy teachers."
Such a seed of Chinese culture and art in his bone has sprouted everywhere in the group and its subsidiaries. Lanbowan School of Zhongshan Experimental Primary School under the group has opened a special class of calligraphy, invited famous calligraphy teachers to give lessons. The calligraphy works of its students have won numerous prizes. "Influence by close association". The enthusiasm of Yang in calligraphy art has infected all employees of the group and its subsidiaries. From high level to grass root, all people have displayed a strong atmosphere in the learning of traditional culture. Excellent traditional culture has become an important component of its corporate culture.
Dialogue on the original intention for the donation: Calligraphy cannot be taught in primary and middle schools
Daily: On December 8, 2016, Great Aim Group donated 25 million Yuan to China Literary and Art Foundation for a calligraphy teachers training program. As a private entrepreneur, why do you take such an action?
Yang: It is not sudden in fact. As a member of Chinese Calligraphers Association, I have an unusual enthusiasm in calligraphy. Today it is difficult for calligraphy class to be introduced into primary and middle schools. Due to the shortage of calligraphy teachers, calligraphy teaching cannot be organized normally in many schools. Facing this reality, we feel very upset and worried. Many people want to do something for the inheritance of calligraphy, but find it helpless. As an entrepreneur, it's lucky that I have the strength to make some contribution to the inheritance of calligraphy, for which I feel very proud.
Daily: 25 million Yuan is a big sum. Why don't you directly aid a calligrapher with potential, but choose to fund the calligrapher teacher training for primary and middle schools?
Yang: From six years old I was asked by my grandpa to learn calligraphy. Later, after I went to school, I was always criticized by my teacher when I held a pencil in the same way as I held a writing brush. However, after I went home from school, I was praised by my grandpa, who said that I had laid a solid foundation in the practice of calligraphy. I have been enthusiastic about calligraphy for decades, perhaps because the example and verbal instruction from the elderly had buried a seed of enthusiasm in calligraphy in my childhood. Perhaps I choose to fund the inheritance of Chinese calligraphy just to carry forward the original intention of my grandpa.
Decades have elapsed in a blink. Now I have become the founder and leader of an enterprise. With the growth and development of the enterprise, generation after generation of new employee enter the enterprise. I find that there are few calligraphy lovers among the generations born in the 1980s, 1990s and fewer in the 2000s. Without the keyboard, none of them can write neatly. In the face of shortage of inheritors of calligraphy art, as a calligrapher lover and a member of Chinese Calligraphers Association, I am anxious about the current status and worried about the inheritance of Chinese calligraphy.
Refutal against the claim that calligraphy is useless: Calligraphy is a window to the personality of a man
Daily: Just now you mentioned that a lot of youngsters know nothing about calligraphy, and can't write characters well. Indeed, as far as I am concerned, now many youngsters do not learn calligraphy. On one hand they are too busy with their work, on the other hand, they think that calligraphy is useless to their work. How do you think of such a notion?
Yang: In Dong Yu Biography of Confucianists of Brief History of Wei, Dong Yu said about reading, "Winter, the surplus of a year; night, the surplus of a day; cloudy and rainy weather, the surplus of time". So is the practice of calligraphy, which can be practiced at any spare time.
I don't agree with the notion that calligraphy is useless to work. I believe that "Conduct should go before doing things, and integrity is the precondition to success". In fact calligraphy and conduct have similarity. Calligraphy is the treasure of traditional Chinese culture, a national essence, which has abstracted the law of movement of the universe and blended the theories of sages in both ancient and present time. As a saying goes, "The character for man consists of one stroke to the left and another to the right; we learn to behave ourselves with our whole life", which is about the relationship between calligraphy and conduct. Su Shi, a great poet in the Song Dynasty of China, also said, "Calligraphy is a window to the personality of a man". From calligraphy we can see the character and behave of a man. Through the constraint of calligraphy rules, it will become our habit and is meaningful to regulate our behaviors.
Daily: Great Aim Group has also built a school. Is calligraphy education offered in the group's school? How effective is it?
Yang: Lanbowan School under the group has opened various interest oriented classes, including calligraphy. The calligraphy works of many students have won various prizes. In the following, we will continue to strengthen the aspect, especially cultivate more professional calligraphy teachers.
