Xiangyang Daily (Zhang Yating, the All-media Journalist, and Jiang Yuwei, the Correspondent) With brush and ink carrying forward a cultural legacy, and chivalrous spirit nurturing the younger generation, a public-interest calligraphy training event titled “Chivalrous Xiangyang: Ink Nurtures Younger Generation,” part of the “Chivalrous Xiangyang” Chinese New Year Cultural Season for Nationwide Reading, was held on the morning of January 17 at the City Reading Room of Xiangyang’s 603 Cultural and Creative Park in Hubei Province.

This event was hosted by the Xiangyang Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the  Xiangyang Children’s Welfare Institute. It aims to promote the chivalrous spirit in Xiangyang through calligraphy art, while delivering a public welfare class that combines cultural education with emotional enrichment for the children at the welfare institute.

“What do you mean by adding the Chinese character ‘也(ye)’ next to the character ‘马(ma)’?” “How is ‘ma’ pronounced when combined with ‘甹(ping)’?” In the “word puzzle game” segment, calligraphers wrote various script styles of Chinese characters—such as “驰(chi),” “骋(cheng),” and “骐(qi)”—adjacent to the character “ma,” guiding children to observe and reflect. The children focused intently on their observations and actively participated in the guessing game, experiencing the intriguing processes of Chinese character formation and pronunciation within a relaxed and lively atmosphere.

In the teaching session, calligraphers focused on Chinese characters such as “侠(xia), ” “义 (yi),” “幸” (xing),” and “福 (fu),” skillfully incorporating traditional Chinese New Year blessings into their brushwork. Under the teachers’ guidance, the children carefully practiced copying the characters, gaining firsthand appreciation for the structural elegance of Chinese calligraphy.

“Helping the weak and the needy embodies a chivalrous spirit deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of Xiangyang, while calligraphy serves as a profound cultivation of personal character. As calligraphers from Xiangyang, it is our solemn responsibility to uphold and express this chivalrous spirit through the art of calligraphy.” Liu Chunxin, Chairman of the Xiangyang Calligraphers Association, encouraged children to develop focus, perseverance, and integrity through their practice of calligraphy, fostering a harmonious growth between traditional culture and Xiangyang’s enduring spirit.

During the event, children completed calligraphy pieces under the guidance of their teachers, followed by an interactive session where they exhibited their works and exchanged ideas with one another. At the conclusion of the activity, participants took a group photograph as a keepsake. Then they engaged in leisurely reading within the city study—a serene space filled with the fragrance of books. Through the harmonious fusion of ink and language, they experienced a warm, enriching, and truly memorable time.