The TSMC Education and Culture Foundation (the Foundation) commits itself to nurturing talents with the vision of building a beautiful and compassionate society. With this vision, the Foundation organizes a variety of literature and arts competitions to deepen the younger generation’s understanding of culture. In addition to holding the annual TSMC Youth Calligraphy and Seal-carving Competition as a way to promote the arts of Chinese calligraphy and seal-carving, the TSMC Education and Culture Foundation partnered with Sun Yun-Suan Foundation and the Mandarin Daily News in 2023 to hold the TSMC Penmanship Competition as a way to encourage students and transform they ordinary act of writing Chinese by hand into something beautiful, elevating the practicality of handwriting to an artistic level. At the same time, professional calligraphers were invited to give two promotional talks to guide the public to enjoy the fun of handwriting. The Competition received 4,824 entries and 223 entries were selected for the final stage. At the conclusion, 109 entries were selected for awards and exhibited at the Yun Yun-Suan Memorial Museum between the 26th of August and the 24th of September 2023.

Competition + Promotional Talks: Inspiring Students to Have Fun with Handwriting

With the prevalence of technological products such as laptops and smartphones, the younger generation writes by hands much less than typing on a phone screen or a computer keyboard. To highlight the cultural significance of Chinese handwriting, the TSMC Education and Culture Foundation organized its first penmanship competition. The theme of the first competition was ‘The Spring of Dadu Plateau’, using ‘spring’ to symbolize blessings and a new beginning for the contest. The competition was divided into four groups: primary school, junior high school, senior high school and primary school teachers, and subjects ranged from classical poetry to contemporary poetry. The competition proceeded through preliminary selection of entries and on-site writing for the final round. In addition to organizing the competition to promote the culture of penmanship, the Foundation also invited calligraphers to give talks on ‘the aesthetics of origami and handwriting’ and ‘traces of contemporary literati handwriting art’. The talks enabled the public to appreciate the technique and aesthetics of handwriting through the art form of origami and the lines of handwriting, deepening their understanding of the structure of Chinese writing and experiencing the fun of handwriting.

Deepening the younger generation’s understanding of humanistic values is a primary goal for the TSMC Education and Culture Foundation’s core engagement- talent cultivation. In addition to encouraging the practice of handwriting, the TSMC Penmanship Competition also stimulates young people’s passion for poetry, which in turn brings out their potential. In doing so, the young people’s understanding of arts and literature is deepened, and they can choose a future suited for their talents.