Charm of writing has growing appeal as a way to find inner peace

The course Guo provides lasts at least one year and runs twice a week. Many of his students are lawyers, designers and accountants. They learn it as a way to ease the pressure of daily work.

There's also a group of parents who learn it together with their children. Most of the students in the training company are children and teenagers who are expected to learn more about Chinese culture through calligraphy. Adults account for less than one-third of his students, says Guo.

"Many parents choose to learn together with their children as a means of self-improvement. They believe that calligraphy opens doors to the world of Chinese traditional culture, such as poems, history and even philosophy," he adds.

Many of his students initially set high goals, such as writing good characters in ink within a year. Finally, they find that their characters reflect their emotions and thus turn their goals into cultivating their minds and personalities.

"From a calligraphy work, we can tell the writer's feelings, such as joy, sadness and depression. One needs to be fully focused to write a good piece of work," Guo explains the charm of writing calligraphy.