Lai Kwan Yee
Caroline Fuchs comes from Graz in Austria and is one of the leaders of the camp. She tells our reporter that the camp gave the best opportunity for her to try Chinese calligraphy.
“It is a very interesting experience. It is hard to write something meaningful – the wholewriting system seems to be really complex,” she says.
Caroline thinks that it is very hard for her to learn Chinese calligraphy as she is only used to write with pens. “But thanks to the camp, I have a chance in my life.”
Caroline loves Chinese calligraphy because she thinks it is a part of the Chinese assets. “Writings may be the spirit of a city with intangible values and a sense of civic pride,” she adds.
Concerning her learning process, Chinese campers wrote the name of “Sound of Music” in Chinese and she copied the lines – and this was hard but fun.
She mentions that English is very different from Chinese –in terms of letters and the whole alphabet. “In English, the relationship between written and spoken language is closer and more obvious.”
At the moment, Caroline is more in contact with the English language than with Chinese. On the whole she thinks that Chinese becomes more important all over the world. But it needs better ways to spread this language in different counties.
“Many of my friends are very impressed by the way Chinese writing looks like. Some signs look really similar to each other and that is why it is difficult for me and my friends to learn it on our own.”
Apart from writings, Caroline claims that Chinese arts and paintings are colorful and unimaginable. She is going to explore more about Chinese arts and traditions when visiting art exhibitions or getting in touch with her friends abroad.
