Yang Feng Practicing Calligraphy in Xunzhi Lounge of Zhuhai Studio
On December 8, 2016, the haze was blown away by a cold wind. Blue sky and white clouds were back to Beijing in the winter. At the office building of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, an artist attending the donation ceremony joked to the reporter of Nanfang Metropolis Daily, "The sky of the capital was touched by the entrepreneur from Zhuhai. We haven't seen such nice sunshine for a long time."
The entrepreneur mentioned by him is Yang Feng, chairman of the board of Great Aim Group. When Yang declared to donate 25 million Yuan for the calligrapher teachers training program undertaken by Chinese Calligraphers Association, it won warm applause from the audience at the site, including Zhao Shi, party group secretary and vice chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Hu Zhenmin, a member of the standing committee of CPPCC and president of China Literary and Art Foundation, Su Shishu, a member of the standing committee of CPPCC and chairman of Chinese Calligraphers Association and many famous calligraphers.
This was the largest sum of donation received up to date. Within five years, it was expected to train and cultivate about 7,000 calligraphy teachers for primary and middle schools nationwide and calligraphy teaching researchers at the levels of province, prefecture and county, to save the traditional calligraphy art which is declining under the impact of computer. Su said, he was touched seeing a Zhuhai enterprise so devoted to calligraphy and charity.
The charitable action has attracted a lot of attention from the public. It has been covered by several media and praised by the art circles, as a result of which the private entrepreneur Yang Feng who was rare to be seen on news media had instantly become an "online celebrity". People cannot help asking who is Yang Feng and whether it was worth such a large donation to carry forward the calligraphy.
As the leader of Great Aim Group, Yang Feng appears a bit "derelict in duty": He loves photography. For seven successive years, he has flied to and fro the West of the US in different seasons to take photos of the marvelous spectacles. Finally, his album of photos Pursuing Dream in the Wilderness won him "Best of All Gold Award" and "Best Exhibit Award" in the 66th ceremony of Benny Award which is honored as "Oscar of Printing Industry" in the US and became the first Chinese to win this honor.
Influenced by the elderly, Yang was obsessed with calligraphy since his childhood. When he was small, he practiced it with water on bricks. He was told by the elderly that he should make the bricks wet through in each practice. Today he has collected thousands of calligraphy copybooks of famous calligraphers and has become a member of Chinese Calligraphers Association. He calligraphy works has ever been used by China Post as first-day cover of postage stamp for the Celebration of 65th Anniversary of the PRC and created a record of 130,000 Yuan in autumn auction of single character.
On January 9, 2017, when Yang attended the capping ceremony of Great Aim International Building, when asked by the media on the donation of 25 million Yuan for inheritance of calligraphy art, he answered, "Other than donation, I have also devoted myself to the project. In the following, I will participate in the activities of the program, and I will also be a teacher to train the calligraphy teachers."
Such a seed of Chinese culture and art in his bone has sprouted everywhere in the group and its subsidiaries. Lanbowan School of Zhongshan Experimental Primary School under the group has opened a special class of calligraphy, invited famous calligraphy teachers to give lessons. The calligraphy works of its students have won numerous prizes. "Influence by close association". The enthusiasm of Yang in calligraphy art has infected all employees of the group and its subsidiaries. From high level to grass root, all people have displayed a strong atmosphere in the learning of traditional culture. Excellent traditional culture has become an important component of its corporate culture.
