Yong: Do more to promote calligraphy
Posted on February 6, 2012, Monday
BEST WISHES: Yong (right) hands over an `ang pow’ (red packet) to a participant before the competition. — Photo by Tan Song Wei
KUCHING: Chinese associations and schools should collaborate to organise more calligraphy competitions to propagate this healthy activity, as well as to improve its standard.
Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng, who made the call yesterday, said calligraphy was a unique art and tradition of the Chinese, and thus deserved to be preserved.
He believed that organising more related competitions would encourage young people to take up calligraphy as a hobby.
“Nowadays, the younger generations are very much addicted to computer games and the Internet, to the extent that they are spending most of their time in front of computers.
“Therefore, it is my hope that more calligraphy competitions be held to encourage our young generations to be actively involved in this healthy activity,” he said at the opening of a calligraphy competition organised by the Calligraphy Society of Malaysia Kuching Liaison Committee at Kuching Chung Hua Middle School No 3 here.
Yong also suggested that Chinese associations and schools could join force to hold calligraphy exhibitions at shopping malls and public areas.
The Stampin MP pledged that he would allocate some fund for the society to run their activities.
Organising chairman Tan Wei Jin said the competition was an annual activity of the society to promote the art.
He said he was glad that the competition had been well received by schools from Kuching and Samarahan Divisions.
“We hope that more schools could be more proactive in encouraging their students to learn Chinese calligraphy and take part in competitions.”
A total of 312 primary and secondary students participated in the competition.
