Following the script - Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public

Work-life balance
The ancient art of Chinese calligraphy is
an activity widely practised around the world.
Jemelyn Yadao talks to Institute members who
brush away life’s stresses with strokes and find
calm in Chinese characters
Following the
Photography by Justin Lung
40
May 2014
A PLUS
Sammie Leung
May 2014
41
Work-life balance
any fans of classic
Chinese songs will
know the ballad
Wishing We Last Forever
(但願人長久),
popularized by the
late Taiwanese pop singer Teresa Teng in
the 1980s, but perhaps only a few appreciate
the song the way Sammie Leung does.
For Leung, Director of the China CFO
Programme at Deloitte and a Hong Kong
Institute of CPAs member, the lyrics of the
song, based on a famous Song Dynasty
poem about an anguished man separated
from his lover, inspire her to pick up a piece
of paper and a calligraphy brush.
“In this fast-paced world, we are always
multi-tasking,” says Leung. “We listen to
music on the run while we’re texting or
reading news on our phones. We rarely sit
down and listen to the lyrics of the songs.”
Leung regularly practises the delicate art
form of Chinese calligraphy to write down
lyrics of Chinese pop songs. “Doing calligraphy is one single and focused task. To me,
it’s almost a form of meditation.”
The writing of Chinese characters has
been developed as an art for many centuries.
Even with today’s growing reliance on digital
technology and typing on keyboards, many
people around the world, including Institute
members, are proving that Chinese calligraphy is still a treasured tradition.
Slowing down
Like Leung, many find that the true beauty
of practising the art is in its ability of bringing a sense of calm into their hectic working
lives. Calligraphy brings Leung a sense of
tranquillity that she is unable to get from
her other hobbies, she says. “With cooking
I can get my mind away, but I still cook in a
rush as you have to be quick and organized.
With calligraphy it is almost like going back
to another period in time. You phase out.”
Like many Hong Kong residents, Leung
first learned calligraphy as part of the pri42
May 2014
mary school curriculum. “I wasn’t that
excited about it at that point in time,” she
recalls. She then rediscovered the activity while working in New York, where the
bitterly cold weather prompted her to find
more things to do at home.
“I was around Chinatown, just before the
Chinese New Year and I randomly decided
to buy the ink and brushes,” she remembers.
“I went home and my friends and I did the
traditional Chinese New Year fai chun (揮
春) banner using what I bought.”
With every character having to look aesthetically pleasing and every brushstroke
done in a controlled manner, practising calligraphy is the best way to learn patience,
notes Leung. One mistake means you must
start again with fresh paper.
“You learn that you have to focus,” she
says. “If you want to rush, that will actually
slow you down because rushing will easily
mess up the strokes – that’s the lesson that
I’ve learned. Every column and every stroke
needs to be proper. You will know if it’s a
good or bad piece, and should compare with
your own standards. That’s how I learned to
be patient. It was quite a big discovery for me.”
Leung has all the basic materials for
calligraphy, including a traditional Chinese inkstone and a stone mortar used for
grinding an ink stick. “I remember my mum
showing me pictures of the inkstone when I
was younger... I thought it was a joke,” she
recalls. “Ironically, I now prefer inkstone to
ready-made ink. I learned to appreciate the
whole point of taking things slowly and enjoying the process.”
These days, her hobby is also a way for
her to bring the family closer together. “Last
year when I met my parents, I brought along
the brushes, ink and papers. I thought it
would be a fun family exercise because we
all know how to do it.
“These days, not many people would
necessarily appreciate the cultural and traditional stuff but I am quite proud that I can
do calligraphy.”
A PLUS
“I feel the
pressure
[of work]
is lifted
because you
need to be
very calm
while doing
it.”
Joseph Hong
More than words
There are numerous distinct styles of Chinese calligraphy. As noted by Joseph Hong,
Director and Head of Payroll Services at
BDO and an Institute member, the chosen
style not only reflects the writer’s emotions and moods, it is also an expression of
the writer’s personality. He writes in semicursive script, known as xíngshū 行書, which
is one of the five core scripts. It is faster to
write than other styles and implies that his
characters would appear rounder and looser.
“[It] looks very abstract because you
write in a more active and energetic way
as if you’re painting on the paper,” Hong
explains. “I think it matches my character.
After work, I’m actually a very active and
energetic person. I like to participate in all
the sports and activities, so it’s my style.”
With calligraphy’s therapeutic effect,
Hong practises most weekends and sometimes late at night. “I have a very lengthy
working hours but by practising Chinese
calligraphy, I feel the pressure [of work]
is lifted because you need to be very calm
while doing it,” he says.
Holding the brush, Hong says, isn’t easy.
Fingers must stay firm to stabilize the position of the brush and palms must hang over
the table. “You can’t lean on the table to fix
your position when you write,” he says.
“Once you stroke the paper, that will be-
come a permanent mark of your words. If
you don’t start the right way then the whole
thing will be ruined.”
When he was younger, Hong’s father
taught him the basics and importance of
Chinese calligraphy. “He introduced me
to copies of some of the stone rubbings of
the most famous master calligraphers,” he
remembers. “My father always used to say
that if one can write very good Chinese calligraphy, that person is truly sophisticated.”
Nowadays, he is trying to pass on the
skill to his son, despite the challenges.
“The younger generation don’t have much
patience,” he says with a laugh. “It’s not
easy teaching him but when I practise, he’ll
May 2014
43
Stephanie Mok
watch me and ask me questions.”
Hong is not the only one at BDO showing
an interest. Every year, the firm organizes a
calligraphy competition for staff just before
the Lunar New Year holiday. He has previously been a contestant and has even become one of the judges.
“I was pleased to see a lot of colleagues
participating in this activity,” he says. “It’s
not just a competition. The people involved
write messages to each other to wish them
good luck and good health in the coming Lunar New Year. I enjoy writing calligraphy for
my colleagues.”
A real teacher
Clients across Asia, Africa and Europe will
perhaps distinguish the logo of Hong Kongbased accounting firm Nelson and Company
(now Nelson CPA Limited) thanks to the
beautifully written Chinese characters that
44
May 2014
hover decoratively over the firms’ name.
Some, however, may be surprised to find
that the person who wrote it is herself a CPA.
Stephanie Mok, the firm’s Director and
an Institute member, was inspired to bring
out her Chinese calligraphy brush to write
down the company name just as her husband, and founder of the firm, was setting it
up. It has since been seen on the firm’s website and office signboard.
While the link between Chinese calligraphy and accounting is not immediately obvious, Mok believes there are significant similarities. “[Like] auditing and accounting...
there are rules and discipline to follow in
order to create a nice piece of calligraphy,”
she says.
Her grandfather, a mentor in calligraphy, first introduced her to the world of
“real” Chinese calligraphy when she was
young. Following his footsteps, his students
established a calligraphy club, now based in
North Point. He was also the calligraphist
behind the official logo of the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption.
“Like many other primary school students, I had to hand in our calligraphy homework every week,” Mok recalls. “When [my
grandfather] was visiting us, he discovered
that I was practising by imitating the copybook by putting it underneath the paper,
which was the usual method taught by the
schoolteacher,” she recalls. “He told me not to
do it like this. He taught me to write Chinese
calligraphy in his style.”
Her grandfather taught her the methodology of putting every single stroke on the
paper, she says, as well as the meaning behind ancient articles and poems that he used
as inspiration for his calligraphy pieces. “Besides brushes, my grandfather also guided
me on how to write calligraphy with a foun-
A PLUS
“While many
people say that
calligraphy
has lost its
position in such
a computerized
world, I am
glad and
appreciate that
my grandfather
passed down his
calligraphy skills
to me.”
tain pen. He passed away in 1999 and left
me with all those happy memories.”
These days, when she’s not too busy being an auditor, Mok will practise calligraphy
in either clerical script (known as lìshū 隸書)
in which the structure of characters is usually neatly rectangular or square-shaped,
or in regular script (kǎishū 楷書), the most
widely recognized style. “Practising it can
enhance concentration and take me away
from my busy life,” she says.
Mok proudly uses her talented grandfather’s artwork as guidance. “While many
people say that calligraphy has lost its position in such a computerized world, I am glad
and appreciate that my grandfather passed
down his calligraphy skills to me,” she says.
“Calligraphy is an art. It is not just about
whether the characters are written nicely,
but that it also reflects love and emotion,
which computers can never do.”
CREATIVE CPAs
In a world full of constant distractions, many Hong
Kong Institute of CPAs members are particularly
skilled in staying focused both inside and outside of
work. And some of them owe the development of that
skill to the Institute’s calligraphy class.
Set up in January 2013, over-enrolment in the first
Chinese calligraphy class signalled members’ interest
in a new recreational activity, as well as continued
interest in ancient Chinese cultural arts.
“We have more than 10 classmates who started
going to the calligraphy lessons since January 2013
and are still continuing with much enthusiasm,” says
Alan Law, Group Internal Audit Director at Melco
International Development as well as an Institute
member and calligraphy aficionado. “Attending the
Institute classes and practising calligraphy at home
has become an integral part of their lives.”
Since the first class, five have been organized, covering the methodologies behind three major calligraphy styles: clerical (lìshū 隸書), semi-cursive (xíngshū
行書) and regular (kǎishū 楷書). The class on cursive
(cǎoshū 草書) is planned later this month.
Members are taught by Lau Choi-cheong, President of the Chinese Calligraphers Association of Hong
Kong. His experience makes classes even more valuable, note students. “Of course, the class offers all the
students an opportunity to meet with new friends. But
most importantly, it allows us to get to know Master
Lau, who is a very talented and experienced scholar,”
says Law.
According to other Institute members who attend
the class, calligraphy is both a beautiful art and an effective way to enjoy a wide range of benefits. “Chinese
calligraphy helps not only to express our feelings and
innermost emotions through writing, it also helps us to
maintain good health,” says Priscilla Tung, an Institute
member and calligraphy student.
Many participants thank the class for giving them
the opportunity to take breaks from their busy schedules to appreciate a rich cultural heritage. “Through
the writing of famous historical articles, we learn Chinese history and culture,” says Connie Lai, Assistant
Controller, Personnel and Administration at Television
Broadcasts and an Institute member.
There is a lot of wisdom to be learned from the
activity, notes Alice Ng, Vice President, Commercial, at
LF Logistics and also an Institute member. “Through
the writing of famous calligraphy and articles from
great philosophers, it reinforces and reminds us the
importance of pursuing virtue and integrity through
our conduct," she says. “This is one of the basic principles that all accountants should follow.”
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