In 1984, CAA's College of International Education began to admit short-term cultural visitors and has since then received visiting groups from various countries all over the world. As the rich traditions of Chinese art and culture appeals to different groups at different levels, they tend to differ in visiting time, number of group members, and needs. The CAA offers several regular courses for short-term visitors so as to cater to their respective needs.
Regular Courses:
Calligraphy:Five Chinese scripts are taught in this course - regular script, clerical script, seal script, semi-cursive script, and cursive script. The schedule will be arranged according to the students’ progress. Through the study as well as tracing sessions of brushwork masterpieces, the students will acquire the knowledge of the stroke composition of these scripts and the skill of writing them. They will also learn to appreciate the varied stylistic features of the scripts in different brushworks.
Traditional Chinese Bird-and-Flower Painting:There are two types of traditional Chinese bird-and-flower painting: fine line bird-and-flower and free-hand bird-and-flower. Intended for short-term students, this course focuses on the tracing of some well-known free-hand brushworks of plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and other flowers. The students will learn how to apply appropriate amount of ink to the paper with appropriate strokes, lay out the details, and make inscriptions on the picture. In addition, the class may also include lectures on Chinese “lineless” bird-and-flower brushworks and devote some sessions to drawing from nature. Traditional Chinese Landscape Painting:This course teaches how to draw trees, rocks, clouds, and ripples (or waves) as well as introduces the typical Chinese “three-view perspective” (i.e., high view, deep view, and stretched view). Through the study of some classical landscape brushworks, the class demonstrates skills in making strokes, applying ink, and laying out a picture, while offering the students a glimpse of Chinese philosophy embodied in these brushworks. If time permits, it may also includes sessions for drawing from nature. Chinese Figure Painting:This course is intended to train the students how to trace some outstanding Chinese figure paintings. Students discover the differences between Chinese and Western styles of making strokes and modeling and learn to appreciate the art of Chinese brushwork. Lecture on History of Chinese Painting:The lecture outlines the development of Chinese painting and offers the students a comprehensive overview of China’s thousand-year history of art and culture. Other Programs/Tours: 1-day program: lecture on the history of Chinese painting; appreciation of Chinese brushwork 3-5-day program: courses in calligraphy, drawing, painting, etc.; one trip to the city of Hangzhou 1-week program: courses in calligraphy, drawing, painting, etc.; two trips to the city of Hangzhou. 2-week program: courses in calligraphy, drawing, painting, etc.; 1-day visit to a neighboring city (e.g., Shaoxing,
