The Richard Louie Memorial Internship would be a blessing of an opportunity for me to connect with the Chinese and other Asian cultures. My fascination with Asian culture began when I took a highly immersive Mandarin Chinese class from Howard Community College called Startalk. In the class, I learned how to write Chinese characters with a pen and brush, paint bamboo, and do sword Taichi. One feature that I have noticed about all aspects of Chinese culture is that nothing is sharp. Everything flows. From the sing-song tones of the language to the melodious movements of Taichi they all flow. This was interesting to me because I often find water featured in multiple pieces of Asian Art.
Another defining aspect of the Chinese culture is possessing a strong and stable base. Having a sturdy base in whatever you do is crucial. I noticed that in Chinese characters every symbol has a radical that acts as a base …show more content…
For example, due to the four tones of Mandarin Chinese one sound could have four meanings. In some situations, one could insult someone else with a mere mispronunciation. The word “very” could turn into “hate” and “mother” could be turned into “horse” with a simple tone change. Chinese writing also exercises an almost identical amount of precision that speaking exudes. A misplaced stroke could change the meaning of the word completely. Similarly, in Taichi, the accuracy of the movements is essential. In Taichi class, I learned to visualize my attacker. This caused me to move in ways that were exact because where I hit my opponent could decide the winner of the fight. This same precision is used in Asian Art due to the amount of detail featured in each piece. From my experience, Asian art is not abstract. Asian art is practical and filled with technique and practiced skill. Similar to the Chinese culture every stroke is purposed and placed in a perfect