# data[].attributes.body
I chose this phrase for my calligraphy project. 放轻松些 (Fàng qīngsōng xiē)  means relax. I chose to use this phrase because I believe in being calm and letting whatever is suppose to happen, happen. I also drew a panda relaxing on a tree to add some artistic effect to the writing.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose my calligraphy piece on a Buddhist quote. “The Art of Being Muddled” stuck out to me from week 7’s buddhism lectures. I believe we all must find a path to peace in life and followers of Buddhism have a direction in mind. I like the idea of tranquility, the ease of the unknown that Buddhism promotes. Life isn’t always about who has the most knowledge or material things.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project showcase, I chose to present my work on wood panels simply because I thought it would look aesthetic and would complement the calligraphy well. I wrote in a combination of cursive and standard script.

己所不欲，勿施于人 is a Confucius quote meaning "what you do not wish for yourself, you do not do to others." I really admire and appreciate the philosophy of Confucianism, especially this phrase as I think it should reflect the ways in which we all go about living our lives by not only thinking of ourselves, but thinking of the ways in which our actions impact the world around us.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project I wrote," Good fortune as you wish" (吉祥如意) on red paper. I wrote this as inspiration during finals week. I wrote this in a stylized regular script because it is the script that I practiced the most. I really liked taking this class this semester. It was great learning about my culture. It also helped reinforce my Japanese writing, and the Chinese calligraphy that my Grandpa taught me.

# data[].attributes.body
For the Final project, I chose to go with a simple 1 character. This character 家 "Jiā" means "home" or can be used to represent home and family. I used one of my calligraphy writings from earlier in the semester that was written on scrap paper for inspiration from this. I often had trouble writing in such large scale throughout the class so I wanted to test myself and see if I could make something big for the Final. I had an extra paper with leaves that I thought the character would look great on. I used a standard script that I like using most often and I feel the most confidence in writing.

# data[].attributes.body
For my project, I wrote the word “prosperity” in cursive. This was also a gift for my mom this year so I chose this word because I want her to have a successful year. On the outline of the fan, there are eight sides total and I painted four of them black. I wanted to replicate the Yin Yang idea for a balance life.

# data[].attributes.body
When thinking about what I wanted to create for my final project the topics that came to mind were fate, hope, and love. All things that anyone can relate to. Researching I found the poem about it translates to “Wishing I were the stars and you were the moon. Bathing in the light of each other every night.” The style I chose it write in was standard script, I attempted to make the lines thin but it also comes across and shaky. I added the image of a moon and stars so that even if you aren’t able to read or understand the poem you can assume it has to do with the moon and stars. I also decided not to add any color because at night the stars/moon are white on an inky black sky. Since the fans are white/cream in color, the color roles had to be reversed making the characters black.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project, I chose to write the word for power in Chinese "力量" in regular script. I chose to write this on a bookmark as it can easily be used for learning via books. It is meant to show that learning is a form of strength, and the more you know, the more you can do. The bamboo on the side is meant to advocate for persistence. In a way, the bookmark is telling you "Become stronger, read another page/chapter."

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project, I chose to paint peony flowers alongside a poem by Bai Juyi, who was a musician and poet during the Tang dynasty. The poem is called “惜牡丹花”, meaning “Cherishing Peony Flowers.” The poem itself is about his love for peony flowers and the complex reluctance to let them go, because the flowering period is almost over; the infinite regret of a dying spring. This poem is unique to me because it has melancholic undertones and is an expression of deep emotions passing throughout the years. Overall, I chose to paint peonies as my subject because they are significant to Chinese culture and also one of my favorite flowers. Peonies have been painted since ancient times in Chinese culture and have several different meanings.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project I wrote a cursive script by Zhang Zhi. I chose to write the script on a fan shaped like a flower because it matches the round style of the script. What it says is unknown but I thought it was beautiful nonetheless. The moment I saw it I knew I wanted to attempt to copy it for my final project. I really enjoyed observing and writing the curves and long strokes for this piece.

# data[].attributes.body
For my Final Showcase Project I wrote, Qing Ping Le 清平乐 on a bookmark, and I drew butterflies on the top and bottom. In English Qing Ping Le it means Serenade of Peaceful Joy. This is also a C-drama published in 2020. I didn't really enjoy the drama series, but I loved the traditional Chinese clothing from the Song Dynasty in this drama.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project I decided to draw a picture of a trout. I do a lot of fishing and I thought a trout would be a good representation of my love for the out doors. I wrote the words trout in Chinese (鳟鱼）next to the drawing. Trout are such an important species for our region and it is one of the most recognizable fish in America.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project, I chose to write 人生新篇章, which means "new chapter in life." I like this phrase because it serves as a reminder that life comes in chapters and can change quickly. I also wrote this to celebrate the end of the semester and the beginning of a new chapter next semester. I originally intended to write this phrase on a bookmark, however, I decided that a fan would better display the characters. I also like how the characters look and how each is very different from the others. I feel that this helps enhance the meaning of the piece.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final Project, I decided to write out the first line (or first 7 characters) of an ancient Chinese poem from the Qing Emperor Kangxi, titled "Entering a Little Building in Early Summer". I wanted to do this piece because I have always preferred the aesthetic of running script to standard or cursive script, and when I saw this piece, it was the best looking running script piece I have seen, and knew this was the piece I was going to emulate, in my own style of running script of course.

# data[].attributes.body
I really enjoyed learning to paint bamboo, so I wanted to do a calligraphy bamboo painting. I wrote 竹报平安 “zhu bao ping an”, which means something along the lines of “sending a message of safety”. I did the calligraphy in standard style with a little running flare to it because I enjoy the free flowing feel to it.

I used the paper with the white circle because I was able to make it kind of look like yin and yang with the black and white. The circle also represents unity and completion, which adds to the meaning of the drawing. I also wanted to add a bit of color so I put the red dot in the middle which represents the sun.

# data[].attributes.body
I wanted to represent my growth as a person this last semester. I used a growing tree surrounded by flowers, and then in the corner made two larger blooming flowers to represent the two people in my life who passed away and aided me in my path forward. I then decided to use modern script to represent me moving forward and not lingering on the past, even though I personally prefer cursive script or running script as an art form. The characters used represent the word growth in traditional Chinese.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project, I decided to write something meaningful so that I’d be able to hang it up in my room, not only as a nice decoration, but also as an affirmation for myself. My mini-scroll reads “知力权力,” or “intellectual power. (Originally, my main intention was to write “knowledge is power” with only a few characters, but this particular sequence of characters was also sufficient for me.) At times, I lose a little bit of my spark when it comes to school and such, so a little reminder or push like this could be enough to switch me back into gear.

# data[].attributes.body
I decided to write on one of the fans provided for my final project. I plan to display my art so I may remember this course fondly whenever I see it. I wrote what translates to “Happiness as vast as the Eastern Sea.” I thought this quote was very sweet and also connected with me on some level, as I believe success comes from happiness throughout life. I also appreciated how the characters themselves look, as well as feel to write.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project, I picked Chinese poem. This is written by 李白 who is a very famous poet of Tang Dynasty. Occasionally, 李白 wrote verse and poetry about his personal life. 李白's poetry is characterized by vivid images and conversational style. This poem is about farewell with his friend. 李白 watched from the tower as his friend left the area on a boat. In this poem, we can guess his emotion through the beautiful scene. I think he was sad to say goodbye to his friends, but his heart was at peace. The reason I chose this poem is because I studied this poem in junior high school in Japan, and I liked it then.

# data[].attributes.body
My final project showcases the famous Japanese sentence "月が綺麗ですね” by Natsume Soseki. It is read as "Tsuki ga kirei desu ne" in Japanese. The direct translation means "The moon is beautiful, right?" Supposedly, Soseki observed one of his students directly write "I love you" on paper. He thought there should be an indirect way to express someone's love. He thought the image of being alone with a beautiful women who glows within the moonlight expressed this indirectness. As such, this saying is often used as an indirect way to say "I love you" to someone. I've always loved the metaphorical beauty behind this phrase and found the need to share it whenever possible. In addition, I've also included all the scripts for the Chinese character 月 as a brief summary of the things we have learned so far.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose to write this because it's a famous line from one of my favorite characters. It means "During one's lifetime, one cares little about what happens afterward; enjoy the present for however many days it lasts." This expression conveys a carefree attitude toward consequences or responsibilities, emphasizing living in the moment. I like him very natural and unrestrained character is bold and unrestrained, is full of the spirit of optimism. Also he has a positive attitude towards the suffering of life. This line shows his personality charm when he faces the fickleness of the world.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final project, I decided to write one character, 羊, which means sheep. This is because I raise sheep and I needed something to go with my sheep picture. I decided to use a more running scrip style to try to make the singular character more visually interesting and kept to ink dry to give it more character.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose to write an ancient proverb that most peopel have most likely heard, it is “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. I find this to be very true in my own life becuase I am going to be stuck in school for then next 3 years and so I just have to remember to take each day one step at a time. Especially Right now, becuase of the stress of finals and stress of the holidays, are makeing everyday much more chaotic than it normally would be. So I just have to remember to take a breath and take it one day at a time. I know I am going to get thouhg it in the end, it’s just a matter of time, tommorow has enough worry, there is no point to adding more for no reason.

# data[].attributes.body
I decided to write this message and picked this type of style because it includes calligraphy with a modern twist. The characters are Xīn Nián Kuài Le / 新年快乐, and they mean “Happy New Year”. I decided that this message is appropriate, because it is something that will happen after the semester ends, and it is a holiday celebrated throughout the world at some point. This holiday is not a religious celebration, making it more accessible to celebrate by a larger group of people. Although not everyone celebrates New Year on January 1st, it is a holiday that is observed by the people present.

# data[].attributes.body
My final project is a calligraphy work on a fan. My goal was to create something for my mom to put on her wall that had good meaning. I wasn’t sure if there were any good luck sayings that had originated in Taiwan, so I decided to choose an overarching character. ‘福’ , as a whole, represents good fortune, happiness, and luck. I chose a Calligraphy style that leaned more toward cursive since it is one of the styles I find most beautiful. Finally, I added a few stamps because I personally love the look of a few splashes of red in a calligraphy piece.

# data[].attributes.body
This calligraphy work, showcasing the characters 扇解人意, is a blend of standard and seal script. The character 扇, representing a "fan," is rendered with smooth strokes reminiscent of standard script, capturing the graceful movements associated with this object. The character 解, meaning "unraveling" or "figuring out," exhibits elements of seal script, with distinct, bold lines adding a touch of artistic fair. The phrase 善解人意 is a Chinese idiom that conveys the idea of being good at understanding and empathizing with others' feelings and intentions.

# data[].attributes.body
Excuse the terrible writing, the ink kept bleeding through the bookmark. I wrote Luck due to finals coming up and we need the luck to get through! I chose to write it in standard script instead of running script. It has a certain aesthetic look and is very pretty but to me it was hard to do. I hope to start next year with so much luck!

# data[].attributes.body
Please submit the following two items:

1. A Write-up (in a paragraph or two) introducing your calligraphy work.

2. Image of your calligraphy work.

Note from Instructor:

-Reminder: please submit a text entry on WebCampus stating "I have submitted my Final Showcase (Image+Write-up) to the "Padlet". (This is connected to the WebCampus Gradebook.)

-You are encouraged to view and appreciate your classmates' work:)  -Lin Li