For thousands of years, Chinese people have been writing using the art of calligraphy, creating beautiful decorative and usable fans, and making their own paper. These projects only need basic materials and are easy to create for children and adults of any age.
Chinese Calligraphy
Calligraphy is an ancient art that was developed many centuries ago in China. Start out by printing out from the Internet and looking at Chinese letters and how they look different from the letters we use. One symbol can represent a whole word, and the lines used to make a letter are sometimes curved and also straight. Chinese calligraphy is written up to down instead of side to side like in the English language. Using white paper cut into long rectangles, watered down black tempera paint, and brushes, create a length of Chinese calligraphy by copying symbols.
Chinese Fan
Traditional fans in China have been made for thousands of years out of different materials like rice paper, silk and feathers. Look at pictures of different fans from China and the detailed designs on them. Start with an 8-inch by 10-inch piece of paper and use watercolors, crayons, pencils or markers to make a detailed drawing. Cut one of the long sides of the paper so it is curved slightly, and then, starting on one short side of the paper, start accordion folding the paper. Fold forward, then back, then forward again until the paper is all folded. Bind the paper at one end with string.
Paper Making
Paper-making originated in China, and making paper is a great way to recycle old used paper. Use newspapers or old used paper and tear it into thin strips. Make sure to keep any foreign objects such as plastic or staples out of the paper strips. Soak the strips of paper in water in a large bucket or pail. Help them break apart by mixing the paper with your hands, or puree it in a blender in small batches to make a pulp. Using small window screens, dip into the paper pulp and then press out the excess water. Let the screens dry in a warm sunny spot, and the paper will pull of the screen when fully dry.
