Sino Zeal

This is my own Pillow Book, inspired by Sei Shōnagon's famous Makura no Sōshi - written during the Heian period while in she served in the court of Empress Consort Teishi. The book was possibly transcribed in a competition against Murasaki Shikibu's work The Tale of Genji . The Pillow Book of Elizabeth Paich 1. The Freshness of the New Season   In the middle of the first month, if one awakens before the sunrise, it is such a delight to witness the thin layer of frozen dew on a freshly trimmed grass field. The morning frost seems like sugar crystals, delicately powdering the deep emerald underneath it. As the sun rises over the mountains, the morning begins to warm up and the sky’s hues slowly turn from the dark indigo of night into the warm glowing peach shades of dawn. I alone enjoyed such a refreshing scene before I would head to school.   But there are other girls, those who attended the same school as I, who spent their idle time dreaming of becoming mothers and rais...

Chan & Zen Buddhism’s Influence in Painting   Chan and Zen Buddhism’s unique style, because of the traditions’ straightforwardness and distinctive sense of humor, has influenced classical Japanese and Chinese artists alike. Chan and Zen’s limited use of color produces images with an eye-catching high contrast and the fluidity of the brushwork is instantaneous – with the stroke being a spontaneous and quick motion from wrist to brush. The brushwork in Chan and Zen-inspired paintings is not only an immediate action of the artist but also mirrors the calligraphic writing style of China and Japan. Chan and Zen-inspired artists focus on landscapes, figure-studies, and even objects that represent visual koans – or unanswerable riddles. Figure-studies usually include Daoist and Buddhist immortals, classical poets, and Buddhist monks and patriarchs.  Spontaneous Mode and Splashed Ink Style   The two styles of painting that inspired me to create my series are known a...

This was my EAP essay to travel to Beijing, Summer 2010 in order to attend Peking University. I got accepted and it was an awesome trip. Now, I am reposting this because it is an excellent bio explaining why I like China and East Asia, even though it was written 8 years ago.   The heat of the air rising from the grey streets of Beijing in the sticky, rainy summer months will be of little worry to me. Simply returning to China’s capital, to study on my own for the first time as a young adult, would be enough to help me to tough out the heat of the classrooms in the summer weather. As an Asian Literature and Culture major on the Chinese track, going to China and taking programs over the summer at Peking University will benefit my studies by diving into Chinese society.   Chinese culture has been a major focus in my life since I began learning the language in high school. When I entered high school, the course was new and I jumped on the opportunity to study the Far East. I s...