Ethan Yeh’s calligraphy
The Lemmings include any number of individuals well known for their penmanship, Ethan Yeh among them.
Ethan Yeh, a middle-school art teacher in his 30s, not only has lovely handwriting, but is also a champion calligrapher. In fact, he has won the National Taipei University of Education National Pen-based Calligraphy Competition’s xingshu (semi-cursive script) prize five consecutive times, and its kaishu (regular script) prize once.
Sun Color Culture discovered both Yeh and Yang Geng through their postings to the Lemmings group, and published the two men’s first copybook, Daily Writing Practice: Focusing to Write Beautifully. The book was so widely anticipated that the publisher had to initiate a second printing before it was even released, and by late April 2016 had sold 60,000 copies. “Penmanship is not usually considered a popular pastime. Who would have guessed it would become such a craze?”
Yeh’s business card describes him as a “nightly writer.” It’s an accurate description: he really does sit at his desk every night, quietly practicing his penmanship for 30 minutes or an hour.
“Calligraphy means a great deal to me,” says Yeh, adding that he finds writing similar to meditation or Zen practice in that it gives him a sense of transcendence.
But the pleasure Yeh takes in writing isn’t limited to his solo practice: he also enjoys teaching calligraphy. With that in mind, he’s created his own Facebook page, which has gathered more than 8,000 followers in just a few months.
Although Yeh owns 20 or 30 fountain pens, including some pricey antique ones, he typically uses an inexpensive pen for demonstrations. In fact, he most often uses an SKB ballpoint that costs just NT$7. “The ink flows out smoothly and its very maneuverable, so all the characters come out looking nice.”
A middle-school homeroom teacher, Yeh has gotten many of his students interested in penmanship. “The students see what I’ve written in their contact books, and ask me about writing techniques.” He sees penmanship as a way of cultivating a certain attitude towards life: the students in his class with poor penmanship have become interested in improving their writing, and look forward to doing so.