It’s a gloomy, rainy day in Washington DC. But at least it is not cold and snowing a blizzard! A day like today is a blessing in many ways. It helps orient you inwards, which can make your training a little easier. It also provides a great opportunity to drink some hot tea and reflect. Let’s go back to Guangzhou…
Guangzhou China, located in the south, is called the City of Flowers. Like any big city, it is teeming with people going about their business. But in Guangzhou, the semi-tropical weather and river walk provides the perfect setting for a variety of enjoyable activities.
One evening after dinner, my interpreter and I were walking along the Pearl River when we came across a couple of men who had staked out a large section of the walk. Several dozen onlookers were gathered around watching them intently. The men were drawing Chinese characters on the sidewalk with paint brushes! We had found Chinese graffiti in action!
Only this graffiti consisted of ancient Chinese poems written in water by calligraphy masters. The middle aged men were practicing their brush strokes on the sidewalk, writing one character per flagstone. The bystanders would observe and comment on their technique and read the poems.
My interpreter and I stopped to watch one of them men. We asked him what he did for living. He was a mechanic, but he loved classical Chinese poetry and calligraphy! Somewhat self-taught, he enjoyed practicing with his friends on the sidewalk.
Chinese calligraphy is a form of Qigong cultivation. The artist uses specific postures, meditation and breathing while writing the characters. The character must be smooth and even, of high quality.
Writing calligraphy in water on the sidewalk represents one of the rarely understood truths about cultivation — it’s not the product or goal, but the act itself that is important. No matter how great your writing is, it will vanish when the water dries.
As we talked he suddenly thrust the brush into my hand and pointed at a blank stone on the walk. I paused to call back the mind and then suddenly wrote 通 (the Hanzi character for Tong) which means “connecting.” The crowd clapped and he smiled.
Why I chose the character for “connecting”, I don’t know. It was spontaneous, driven by the energy of the moment. For a moment in China, East and West intersected; the ancient poets and a modern traveler met.
Who says time travel is impossible? All it takes is a little Chinese graffiti!
