Latest news with #calligraphy
Japan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
'It's in our blood': How Vietnam adopted the Latin alphabet
At a calligraphy class in Hanoi, Hoang Thi Thanh Huyen slides her brush across the page to form the letters and tonal marks of Vietnam's unique modern script, in part a legacy of French colonial rule. The history of romanized Vietnamese, or "Quoc Ngu," links the arrival of the first Christian missionaries, colonization by the French and the rise to power of the Communist Party. It is now reflected in the country's "bamboo diplomacy" approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers. A month after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited, French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive on Sunday. Huyen, 35, takes weekly calligraphy classes alongside six others at her teacher's tiny home as "a way to relax after work." "When I do calligraphy, I feel like I'm talking to my inner self," she said, her head bent in concentration. Missionaries, civil servants On Monday, Macron is due to visit Hanoi's star attraction, the Temple of Literature, whose walls and explanatory panels are decorated with calligraphy in both traditional Chinese-influenced characters and Quoc Ngu. Colonization led to the widespread use of Quoc Ngu — which uses accents and signs to reflect the consonants, vowels, and tones of Vietnamese — but it was created two centuries earlier on the initiative of Catholic priests. Calligrapher Nguyen Thanh Tung (left) teaches a student at his home in Hanoi. | AFP-JIJI When the Avignon-born Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes published the first Portuguese-Vietnamese-Latin dictionary under his own name in 1651, it was primarily intended for missionaries wishing to spread their religion in what was then called "Dai Viet." The French then spread the Latin alphabet while training the civil servants who helped them govern Indochina, explained Khanh-Minh Bui, a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in 19th- and 20th-century Vietnamese history. Another motive was "severing connections with an older civilization, which has greatly influenced the elites," in this case China, she said. Artistic freedom Compared to the characters that had been in use for centuries, Quoc Ngu was far easier to learn. Its adoption fueled an explosion in newspapers and publishing, which helped spread anti-colonial ideas that ultimately led to the rise of the Communist Party. "Quoc Ngu carried the promise of a new education, a new way of thinking," said Minh. When Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence in 1945, it was "unthinkable" to turn back the clock, she added. Today, a Western tourist lost in the alleys of Hanoi can read the street names, but would have a hard time pronouncing them correctly without understanding the diacritics used to transcribe the six tones of Vietnamese. Calligraphy teacher Nguyen Thanh Tung, who has several young students in his class, says he has noticed rising interest in traditional Vietnamese culture. "I believe that it's in our blood, a gene that flows in every Vietnamese person, to love their traditional culture," he said. Calligraphy in Quoc Ngu offers more artistic freedom "in terms of colour, shape, idea" than that using characters, he believes. "Culture is not the property of one country, it's an exchange between regions," added Tung, 38. "English and French borrow words from other languages, and it's the same for Vietnamese."
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘It's in our blood': How Vietnam adopted the Latin alphabet
HANOI, May 26 — At a calligraphy class in Hanoi, Hoang Thi Thanh Huyen slides her brush across the page to form the letters and tonal marks of Vietnam's unique modern script, in part a legacy of French colonial rule. The history of Romanised Vietnamese, or 'Quoc Ngu', links the arrival of the first Christian missionaries, colonisation by the French and the rise to power of the Communist Party. It is now reflected in the country's 'bamboo diplomacy' approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers. A month after China's Xi Jinping visited, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived yesterday. Huyen, 35, takes weekly calligraphy classes alongside six others at her teacher's tiny home as 'a way to relax after work'. 'When I do calligraphy, I feel like I'm talking to my inner self,' she told AFP, her head bent in concentration. Calligrapher Nguyen Thanh Tung (centres) teaches students at his home in Hanoi May 15, 2025. — AFP pic Missionaries, civil servants Today, Macron is due to visit Hanoi's star attraction, the Temple of Literature, whose walls and explanatory panels are decorated with calligraphy in both traditional Chinese-influenced characters and Quoc Ngu. Colonisation led to the widespread use of Quoc Ngu — which uses accents and signs to reflect the consonants, vowels, and tones of Vietnamese — but it was created two centuries earlier on the initiative of Catholic priests. When the Avignon-born Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes published the first Portuguese-Vietnamese-Latin dictionary under his own name in 1651, it was primarily intended for missionaries wishing to spread their religion in what was then called 'Dai Viet'. The French then spread the Latin alphabet while training the civil servants who helped them govern Indochina, explained Khanh-Minh Bui, a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley, specialising in 19th- and 20th-century Vietnamese history. Another motive was 'severing connections with an older civilisation, which has greatly influenced the elites', in this case China, she said. Hoang Thi Thanh Huyen learns calligraphy at the home of calligrapher Nguyen Thanh Tung in Hanoi May 15, 2025. — AFP pic Artistic freedom Compared to the characters that had been in use for centuries, Quoc Ngu was far easier to learn. Its adoption fuelled an explosion in newspapers and publishing which helped spread anti-colonial ideas that ultimately led to the rise of the Communist Party. 'Quoc Ngu carried the promise of a new education, a new way of thinking,' said Minh. When Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence in 1945, it was 'unthinkable' to turn back the clock, she added. Today, a Western tourist lost in the alleys of Hanoi can read the street names, but would have a hard time pronouncing them correctly without understanding the diacritics used to transcribe the six tones of Vietnamese. At a calligraphy class in Hanoi, Hoang Thi Thanh Huyen slides her brush across the page to form the letters and tonal marks of Vietnam's unique modern script, in part a legacy of French colonial rule. — AFP pic Calligraphy teacher Nguyen Thanh Tung, who has several young students in his class, says he has noticed rising interest in traditional Vietnamese culture. 'I believe that it's in our blood, a gene that flows in every Vietnamese person, to love their traditional culture,' he said. Calligraphy in Quoc Ngu offers more artistic freedom 'in terms of colour, shape, idea' than that using characters, he believes. 'Culture is not the property of one country, it's an exchange between regions,' added Tung, 38. 'English and French borrow words from other languages, and it's the same for Vietnamese.' — AFP
Japan Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Independence hero assassin's calligraphy breaking auction records in Seoul
Calligraphy by a South Korean independence hero, created while awaiting execution for assassinating a Japanese statesman, is breaking new auction records in Seoul, as the country's ultrarich seek to bring historic artwork home. Revered in the South for his efforts to defend the country against Japanese encroachment, Ahn Jung-geun is best known for his dramatic, high-stakes assassination of Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in 1909 at a railway station in Harbin. He was hanged for the killing by Japanese authorities in 1910, just months before Tokyo formally annexed the Korean Peninsula, ushering in a brutal period of occupation that lasted until the end of the Second World War. Now, more than a century after his death, the calligraphy Ahn created in his prison cell during his final days — typically at the request of Japanese officials — is drawing fresh attention in Seoul's glitzy art scene. In South Korea, Ahn's life has long inspired artists across generations, giving rise to a highly celebrated musical, multiple novels, and films — including one starring "Crash Landing on You" actor Hyun Bin. Ahn was held in his prison cell in China for about 40 days leading up to his execution and he kept himself busy writing an autobiography and making hundreds of calligraphy pieces, including one requested by his own prison guard. "The court and prison officials, saying they wanted to keep my calligraphy as a memento, brought me hundreds of sheets of silk and paper and asked me to create for them," Ahn wrote in his autobiography. "I ended up spending several hours each day doing calligraphy, even though I wasn't particularly skilled in it." Even though Ahn had assassinated their top official Ito, the Japanese who took his calligraphy preserved them with care, and some of their descendants have donated them to the South Korean government, which subsequently designated them as national treasures. Now, more of the calligraphies are surfacing in the private art market, with the latest being auctioned last month in Seoul for 940 million won ($674,098) — more than three times its opening bid. Guests participate in a live auction for a piece of calligraphy created by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun in his jail cell weeks before his execution in 1910, at the Seoul Auction on April 22. | AFP-JIJI The piece, which says "green bamboo" — a traditional symbol of integrity — had been owned by a Japanese individual who did not wish to be identified, and they had done an impeccable job preserving it, said Kim Jun-seon, art valuation specialist at Seoul Auction. "It wasn't even mounted and was still rolled up, but when we opened the case, the scent of ink still lingered in the air," she said. Japan said Ahn was a criminal and terrorist and refused to hand over his remains. They have never been located. Moves to honor Ahn by Seoul and Beijing have previously strained ties with Tokyo, even briefly sparking a diplomatic row in 2013. The fact that his Japanese captors preserved his calligraphy "reflects the cultural and political contradictions of early 20th century East Asia," said Eugene Y. Park, a history professor at University of Nevada, Reno. At his trial, Ahn identified himself as a soldier for Korea, defined his assassination of Ito as a military operation, and envisioned a united East Asia — comprising Korea, China, and Japan — somewhat akin to today's European Union. "Some Japanese may have seen him as a misguided but principled idealist," Park said. His calligraphy, which focused on values such as peace and ethics, "resonated culturally, even if he opposed them politically," he said. "At a time when Japan's own imperial identity was unsettled, preserving his works revealed deeper tensions between respect for moral courage and the pursuit of colonial domination." In 2023, the Global Sae-A Group, a South Korean conglomerate, purchased one of Ahn's calligraphies for a record-breaking 1.95 billion won. The piece "Green Bamboo" was sold at auction last month to the family of South Korea's LS Group. "We expressed our intention to bring the piece back to Korea and share it with the public," Joung Tae-hee at Seoul Auction said, adding that the Japanese owner agreed to sell after hearing their proposal. Lee Sang-hyun, of the LS Group family, said that his mother "hopes many citizens will be able to see this piece and that it will also be studied," and they are considering donating it to a national institution. Ahn became a Catholic as a teenager and ends his autobiography with the words of Nicolas Joseph Marie Wilhelm, a French priest and missionary stationed in Korea, who traveled to his prison to see the activist and give him confession. The priest — who had also baptized Ahn and was a longtime friend — was disciplined for his trip, and was later forced to return to France. "The gracious lord will never abandon you," Wilhelm told Ahn. "He will surely take you in, so rest your heart and go in peace."
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Calligraphy created by assassin while awaiting execution breaking auction records in South Korea
Calligraphy by a South Korean independence hero, created while awaiting execution for assassinating a Japanese leader, is breaking new auction records in Seoul, as the country's ultra-rich seek to bring historic artwork home. Revered in the South for his efforts to defend the country against Japanese encroachment, Ahn Jung-geun is best known for his dramatic, high-stakes assassination of Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in 1909 at a train station in Harbin. Ahn shouted "Hurrah for Korea!" as he was arrested, according to the Association for Asian Studies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was hanged for the killing by Japanese authorities in 1910, just months before Tokyo formally annexed the Korean Peninsula, ushering in a brutal period of occupation that lasted until the end of World War II. Now, more than a century after his death, the calligraphy Ahn created in his prison cell during his final days — typically at the request of Japanese officials — is drawing fresh attention in Seoul's glitzy art scene. A woman looks at a piece of calligraphy created by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun in his jail cell weeks before his execution in 1910, at the Seoul Auction in Seoul, April 22, 2025. Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images In South Korea, Ahn's life has long inspired artists across generations, giving rise to a highly celebrated musical, multiple novels, and films — including one starring "Crash Landing on You" actor Hyun Bin. Ahn was held in his prison cell in China for about 40 days leading up to his execution and he kept himself busy writing an autobiography and making hundreds of calligraphy pieces, including one requested by his own prison guard. "The court and prison officials, saying they wanted to keep my calligraphy as a memento, brought me hundreds of sheets of silk and paper and asked me to create for them," Ahn wrote in his autobiography. "I ended up spending several hours each day doing calligraphy, even though I wasn't particularly skilled in it." Even though Ahn had assassinated their top official Ito, the Japanese who took his calligraphy preserved them with care, and some of their descendants have donated them to the South Korean government, which subsequently designated them as national treasures. Now, more of the calligraphies are surfacing in the private art market, with the latest being auctioned last month in Seoul for 940 million won ($674,098) — more than three times its opening bid. The piece, which says "green bamboo" — a traditional symbol of integrity — had been owned by a Japanese individual who did not wish to be identified, and they had done an impeccable job preserving it, said Kim Jun-seon, art valuation specialist at Seoul Auction. "It wasn't even mounted and was still rolled up, but when we opened the case, the scent of ink still lingered in the air," she told AFP. "Misguided but principled idealist" Japan said Ahn was a criminal and terrorist and refused to hand over his remains. They have never been located. Moves to honor Ahn by Seoul and Beijing have previously strained ties with Tokyo, even briefly sparking a diplomatic row in 2013. In 2014, Japan criticized a memorial built in China to commemorate Ahn, BBC News reported. A Japanese government spokesman branded him a terrorist after the Chinese-Korean memorial hall opened in China's Harbin city, where Ito was shot. The fact that his Japanese captors preserved his calligraphy "reflects the cultural and political contradictions of early 20th century East Asia," said Eugene Y. Park, a history professor at University of Nevada, Reno. At his trial, Ahn identified himself as a soldier for Korea, defined his assassination of Ito as a military operation, and envisioned a united East Asia — comprising Korea, China and Japan — somewhat akin to today's European Union. "Some Japanese may have seen him as a misguided but principled idealist," Park told AFP. Ahn Jung-geun, Korean independence activist, is seen in an undated photo. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images His calligraphy, which focused on values such as peace and ethics, "resonated culturally, even if he opposed them politically," he said. "At a time when Japan's own imperial identity was unsettled, preserving his works revealed deeper tensions between respect for moral courage and the pursuit of colonial domination." In 2023, the Global Sae-A Group, a South Korean conglomerate, purchased one of Ahn's calligraphies for a record-breaking 1.95 billion won (nearly $1.4 million). The piece "Green Bamboo" was sold at auction last month to the family of South Korea's LS Group. "We expressed our intention to bring the piece back to Korea and share it with the public," Joung Tae-hee at Seoul Auction said, adding that the Japanese owner agreed to sell after hearing their proposal. Lee Sang-hyun, of the LS Group family, told AFP that his mother "hopes many citizens will be able to see this piece and that it will also be studied," and they are considering donating it to a national institution. Ahn became a Catholic as a teenager and ends his autobiography with the words of Nicolas Joseph Marie Wilhelm, a French priest and missionary stationed in Korea, who traveled to his prison to see the activist and give him confession. The priest — who had also baptized Ahn and was a longtime friend — was disciplined for his trip, and was later forced to return to France. "The gracious lord will never abandon you," Wilhelm told Ahn. "He will surely take you in, so rest your heart and go in peace."
Malay Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Korean Independence hero assassin's prison calligraphy resurfaces, setting new auction records in Seoul
SEOUL, May 16 — Calligraphy by a South Korean independence hero, created while awaiting execution for assassinating a Japanese statesman, is breaking new auction records in Seoul, as the country's ultra-rich seek to bring historic artwork home. Revered in the South for his efforts to defend the country against Japanese encroachment, Ahn Jung-geun is best known for his dramatic, high-stakes assassination of Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in 1909 at a railway station in Harbin. He was hanged for the killing by Japanese authorities in 1910, just months before Tokyo formally annexed the Korean peninsula, ushering in a brutal period of occupation that lasted until the end of the Second World War. Now, more than a century after his death, the calligraphy Ahn created in his prison cell during his final days — typically at the request of Japanese officials — is drawing fresh attention in Seoul's glitzy art scene. In South Korea, Ahn's life has long inspired artists across generations, giving rise to a highly celebrated musical, multiple novels, and films — including one starring Crash Landing on You actor Hyun Bin. Ahn was held in his prison cell in China for about 40 days leading up to his execution and he kept himself busy writing an autobiography and making hundreds of calligraphy pieces, including one requested by his own prison guard. 'The court and prison officials, saying they wanted to keep my calligraphy as a memento, brought me hundreds of sheets of silk and paper and asked me to create for them,' Ahn wrote in his autobiography. 'I ended up spending several hours each day doing calligraphy, even though I wasn't particularly skilled in it.' Even though Ahn had assassinated their top official Ito, the Japanese who took his calligraphy preserved them with care, and some of their descendants have donated them to the South Korean government, which subsequently designated them as national treasures. Now, more of the calligraphies are surfacing in the private art market, with the latest being auctioned last month in Seoul for 940 million won (RM2.88 million) — more than three times its opening bid. The piece, which says 'green bamboo' — a traditional symbol of integrity — had been owned by a Japanese individual who did not wish to be identified, and they had done an impeccable job preserving it, said Kim Jun-seon, art valuation specialist at Seoul Auction. 'It wasn't even mounted and was still rolled up, but when we opened the case, the scent of ink still lingered in the air,' she told AFP. This picture taken on April 22, 2025 Lee Sang-hyun (left), a member of the LS Group family, raising his bid paddle during a live auction for a piece of calligraphy created by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun in his jail cell weeks before his execution in 1910, at the Seoul Auction in Seoul. — AFP pic 'Terrorist' Japan said Ahn was a criminal and terrorist and refused to hand over his remains. They have never been located. Moves to honour Ahn by Seoul and Beijing have previously strained ties with Tokyo, even briefly sparking a diplomatic row in 2013. The fact that his Japanese captors preserved his calligraphy 'reflects the cultural and political contradictions of early twentieth-century East Asia,' said Eugene Y. Park, a history professor at University of Nevada, Reno. At his trial, Ahn identified himself as a soldier for Korea, defined his assassination of Ito as a military operation, and envisioned a united East Asia — comprising Korea, China, and Japan — somewhat akin to today's European Union. 'Some Japanese may have seen him as a misguided but principled idealist,' Park told AFP. His calligraphy, which focused on values such as peace and ethics, 'resonated culturally, even if he opposed them politically,' he said. 'At a time when Japan's own imperial identity was unsettled, preserving his works revealed deeper tensions between respect for moral courage and the pursuit of colonial domination.' This picture taken on April 22, 2025 shows Lee Sang-hyun, a member of the LS Group family, speaking in front of a piece of calligraphy created by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun in his jail cell weeks before his execution in 1910, during an interview with AFP at the Seoul Auction in Seoul after winning the piece at auction. — AFP pic Go in peace In 2023, the Global Sae-A Group, a South Korean conglomerate, purchased one of Ahn's calligraphies for a record-breaking 1.95 billion won. The piece Green Bamboo was sold at auction last month to the family of South Korea's LS Group. 'We expressed our intention to bring the piece back to Korea and share it with the public,' Joung Tae-hee at Seoul Auction said, adding that the Japanese owner agreed to sell after hearing their proposal. Lee Sang-hyun, of the LS Group family, told AFP that his mother 'hopes many citizens will be able to see this piece and that it will also be studied,' and they are considering donating it to a national institution. Ahn became a catholic as a teenager and ends his autobiography with the words of Nicolas Joseph Marie Wilhelm, a French priest and missionary stationed in Korea, who travelled to his prison to see the activist and give him confession. The priest — who had also baptised Ahn and was a long-time friend — was disciplined for his trip, and was later forced to return to France. 'The gracious lord will never abandon you,' Wilhelm told Ahn. 'He will surely take you in, so rest your heart and go in peace.' — AFP
