卷轴- juànzhóu Scroll

One of the things that is distinctly Chinese is the writing, and for a millennium they transcribed their official proclamations on scrolls. Today, the advent of electronic media has largely done away with the need for the use of scrolls for communication but they are still used for their aesthetic value. We happened upon a shop that specializes in painting beautiful scenes on scrolls and then inscribing them with whatever you want to proclaim as you wait. These scrolls are very popular with tourist and expats as gifts for family and friends or to decorate homes. In fact, we have one on the wall in our apartment. One of the things that I am impressed with is the respect that they still have today for the calligraphist. It is thought of as an art. In Hong Kong's art museum they even have a wing dedicated to Chinese calligraphy. As one attempting to learn to read and write Chinese, I definitely can understand why they admire those who can write this language well. It is definitely not an easy task. The other day I wrote a couple words of Chinese on the whiteboard as I was teaching my students and they all spontaneously burst into applause. They had genuinely appreciated that their 外国人 wàiguórén (foreign) teacher could actually write their language. Well, to keep my head from getting too big, one of my older students tells me the next day how bad my hand writing is. Well, the Chinese have a phrase for the type of progress I am making. 慢慢来(mànmànlái) which means literally slow, slow come. They often say it to me when I express frustration at the slow progress that I am making. It means keep at it and progress will come. So I just keep telling myself 慢慢来 mànmànlái, I am making progress. Although I will probably never be an artist doing calligraphy on a 卷轴 juànzhóu (scroll), I can now write a few words in Chinese. Baby steps are still steps. - 付伟国