Copying for inspiration and power

Demanding the writer's full attention to meticulously complete each stroke, copying classic texts is also traditionally deemed as one of the best ways to explore and ruminate on the wisdom crystalized in the classics.

Wang Shaoqi, a calligraphy buff, adopted copying Tao Te Ching, a text of 5,284 characters, as a new hobby after he retired as a policeman in Qiqiha'er, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

While copying, he liked to stop to ponder over the aphorisms in the work, such as 'The movement of the Tao consists in returning. The use of the Tao consists in softness', Wang told a local media outlet in 2018.

"The reason why I enjoy copying the classic so much is that it helps the values in this ancient classic sink in and thus offers me new thoughts on life and the world", the retiree beamed.

For Bai Ruyun, a 45-year-old farmer from North China's Hebei province, copying ancient Chinese poems saved her from a close brush with death while she was in a years-long battle against lymphoma, as she revealed in a poetry-related variety show in 2017.

After being diagnosed with the cancer in 2011, Bai went through chemo several times. During those hospitalized days, she started reading ancient Chinese poetry and copied them into her notebook with essential notes for better understanding.

Through taking a leaf from poets like Tao Yuanming (365-427), Li Bai (701-762) and Su Dongpo (1037-1101) whose poems show their calmness, resilience, and optimism in their eventful lives, Bai endured the pains of chemotherapy treatments and finally won the bitter battle.

"With a backward glance at the windswept place, I carry on, in spite of wind, rain or shine," Bai quoted one of Su Dongpo's famous verses in an interview, adding, "Reading and copying those inspiring verses is like a ferry that helped carry me through the hard times."