A Stroke of Genius

by+Wang+Shuo

Over the past three years， Pro- fessor Zhou Bin of the School of Communication， East China Normal University， found a new identity： he has been the calligraphy instructor for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Zhou believes responsibility is a big part of why he became Mr. Bans instructor. He insists that calligraphy is an ideal conduit through which traditional Chinese culture can be accepted by more foreigners， and predicts that through calligraphy， more foreigners will become attracted to Chinese culture.

New Moon

The friendship between Zhou and Ban Ki-moon started with calligraphy， evidencing the arts value in international exchange.

In 2011， Zhou arrived in New York City as a visiting scholar. During his stay， UN Headquarters hosted a “Chinese Language Day” activity， and Zhou was invited to lecture about calligraphy there. The lecture was well received by UN officials， and subsequently， Zhou became an instructor for a calligraphy training program as part of the UNs Chinese language project. Later， he was recommended to the Secretary-General due to his popularity with UN students.

After two months of teaching calligraphy to Ban， Zhous scheduled return to China crept close. Ban， however， expressed wishes to continue studying. “At first， I thought he just wanted to try，” Zhou recalls. “I never thought he was that serious.”Ever since， Zhou has been teaching Ban calligraphy. And after three years， Zhou and Ban are more than just teacher and student， but trusted friends.

On June 19， 2013， Ban Ki-moon met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Before the meeting， Zhou suggested the Secretary-General pen some calligraphy as a gift for President Xi. “Mr. Ban refused at first， because he thought his writing wasnt good enough，” explained Zhou. However， out of love for calligraphy and trust in Zhou， Ban ultimately took his teachers advice and even asked Zhou to take his work to China to frame. “This work makes Mr. Ban closer to Chinese people. And I believe the Confucian teaching he wrote， roughly translated as ‘harmony between heaven and earth， is truly an embodiment of his thoughts about world peace and harmony，” opines Zhou.

“Brush Dancing on Paper”

For many years， Zhou has been dedicated to promoting Chinese calligraphy， in hopes of making Chinese culture more accepted by people with different cultural backgrounds. Zhou considers calligraphy more than an art. It is also a tool， which enables more Westerners to feel Chinese culture in a visible， interesting and exciting way.

Although he started teaching calligraphy as early as 1984， Zhou only began teaching foreigners in 2006. That year， he ventured to Lehigh University in United States Pennsylvania. During his stay， he offered two courses： Calligraphy Culture and Calligraphy Techniques. Although only about ten students registered for each， all of them were Westerners， and after one semester， the two courses received the highest student ratings of any elective.

“When they first began to learn calligraphy， many foreigners treated it as a funny game，” Zhou reveals. “I dont make calligraphy a mysterious thing to them and entertainment is incorporated into my teaching. According to my in-class surveys， to Western students， using a brush to write on paper is like making the brush dance. It is funnier than using a hard-tipped pen. They usually feel excitement when holding a brush in hand. However， with the same brush， Chinese students shiver – because they grasp the cultural weight of a writing brush. Thats why I believe that calligraphy teachers need to understand cross-cultural psychology.”

To pinpoint the best teaching method， Zhou has stuck to overseas calligraphy teaching for the past a few years. His efforts have paid off. Through his teaching， many Western people have become attracted to calligraphy and even to Chinese culture.

In September 2012， Zhou taught a lesson in a school in the U.S. Because 2012 was the Year of the Dragon， the lesson was themed “The World of Gorgeous Dragons.” With brushes， students stroked the Chinese character for “dragon” on T-shirts. “Everyone was excited，” Zhou recalls. What surprised him was that when he visited the school a year later， students welcomed him by wearing their dragon Tshirts. “What a thrill！” To Zhou， this was the best present a teacher could ever ask for from students.

As a teacher， Zhou hopes to teach his foreign students more， and not just calligraphy. “Actually， I put much of my energy in cross-cultural psychology and practice，”he asserts.

Junior United Nations of Calligraphy

To share scientific study methods and systematic teaching resources with calligraphy enthusiasts around the world， as well as to spread Chinese culture through calligraphy， the Zhou Bin Culture Institute was established in Shanghai in 2012. On April 18， 2014， the Junior United Nations of Calligraphy， under the Zhou Bin Culture Institute， was launched at the UN Headquarters in New York.

“Zhou， you are a patient teacher with wonderful teaching methods，” Ban KiMoon once said. “I believe that no matter who learns calligraphy from you， he or she will do well.” With support and encouragement from the UN Secretary-General， Zhou found more confidence to found the Junior United Nations of Calligraphy， an international platform for calligraphy.

“Calligraphy creates a magic thread through which people can feel the beauty of Chinese characters – even if they have no idea of the characters meaning，” explains Zhou. “It offers people an emotional experience which can be found in every culture.” He asserts that his intention in setting up the Junior United Nations of Calligraphy was to promote communication and exchange between people from around the world through calligraphy and help more people understand Chinese calligraphy and modern China.

Today， the Junior United Nations of Calligraphy has attracted more than 100 students from 40 countries， including ambassadors to the United Nations， UN officials， and their spouses and kids. Two styles of courses are offered： regular and occasional expert lectures. Regular courses are taught by elite instructors and held every week. Zhou is responsible for the expert lectures. “Whenever I visit the United States， I teach at least once a week or so，”Zhou adds.

Through launching Chinese calligraphy classes， Zhou hopes the art can take root， grow， and enhance the UNs role as an international platform for multilateral diplomacy.