Chinese Calligraphy Curriculum Design Contest
Winners of the 2025 Chinese Calligraphy Curriculum Design Contest
Elementary Schools
Yi Yang Best Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Yi Yang is a passionate 5th grade Chinese teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience in Italy, China, and the United States. She has a strong commitment to cultural education and integrates Chinese calligraphy into her language classes to enrich students’ learning. She began learning calligraphy at a young age and studied it continuously for more than 15 years, developing a deep appreciation for the art form. Through her teaching, she aims to inspire students not only to learn the Chinese language but also to connect with its rich cultural heritage. Her international background allows her to create an inclusive and engaging classroom environment where students enjoy exploring language, art, and tradition.
Rosemary Geng （Yaqi Geng） Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Rosemary Geng, an 11th-grade student, began learning calligraphy at the age of six, inspired by her teacher’s vivid ink charm. From early training in Shenzhen to handwriting Spring Festival couplets and “Fu” characters each New Year, calligraphy has become a core part of her cultural life. It has taught her patience, tranquility, and the wisdom of balance in strokes. This summer, using a syllabus she designed, Rosemary is running a public welfare calligraphy class for children of Chinese descent. Through it, she hopes to pass on not only brush techniques but also the warmth of culture, enabling more young people to connect with tradition in each stroke, and taking her first step toward cultural inheritance.
Middle Schools
Dan Li Best Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Dan Li is a passionate and dedicated middle school Mandarin teacher who believes that learning a language also means embracing its culture. She designs dynamic and engaging lessons that immerse students in the richness of Chinese heritage, fostering both linguistic skills and cultural understanding. By weaving artistic expression—such as calligraphy, painting, and traditional crafts—into her teaching, she inspires students to appreciate the beauty of the written word and the traditions behind it. Beyond the classroom, She actively promotes cultural exchange through workshops, school events, and community programs, sharing her love for Chinese art and heritage with a wider audience and nurturing cross-cultural appreciation.
Ren Li Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Ren Li earned her master’s degree in education from Tufts University and currently teaches Chinese at Brockton High School and calligraphy at Sharon Chinese School on weekends. She began studying Yan-style regular script under renowned calligrapher Mr. Jin Zhonghao, a national first-class artist and council member of the China Calligraphers Association.
Ren Li actively promotes Chinese calligraphy through events such as:
STARTALK summer camps in MA and RI
Community exchanges in Sharon and Westwood
Chinese New Year celebrations in Newton
Workshops at MIT and Crane Library
Programs by the American Calligraphy Education Association
Her dedication continues to enrich cultural understanding and appreciation of Chinese calligraphy in the U.S.
High Schools
Yi Wang Best Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Yi Wang is a certified Senior Mandarin Teacher and an active member of the American Society of Shufa Calligraphy Education. With over 30 years of teaching experience in China and the US, she specializes in integrating Chinese calligraphy and culture into language learning. Yi currently teaches at The Northwest School in Seattle, where she creates immersive calligraphy experiences. Her calligraphy curriculum was featured at the 2024 PNCFL Conference and CLTA-WA Workshop. She has received the Global Education Model Award, the 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Activity Design, and the “Why Learn Chinese” Outstanding Contributor Award. Under her guidance, students’ works have been showcased at the National Chinese Culture EXPO and won top honors in WAACE’s “Why Learn Chinese” Competition.
Li Li Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Li Li holds an M.Ed. in Bilingual/ESL/Multicultural Education and an M.A. in Modern Chinese Literature from UMass Amherst. She teaches all levels of Mandarin Chinese, including AP and IB, as well as Calligraphy and ESL at Notre Dame Academy. She has taught at Harvard, MIT, and other higher education institutions. A Chinese calligraphy practitioner, she serves on the ASSCE Executive Board and is a published translator of books in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese literature. Her ultimate goal is to teach well, live well, and help others live well.
Universities
Huiwen Li Best Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Huiwen Li holds an M.Ed. in C&I, an M.A. in Edu-Psychology, and a Doctor of Education, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in L&D. He is an Associate Professor of Chinese at Bard College and a former President of ASSCE.
Dr. Li has practiced the primary calligraphy scripts and recently has focused on studying Oracle-Bone Script. He has taught Chinese calligraphy in America for over a decade and has actively promoted the art through workshops, teacher training, and educational initiatives across North America.
His research interests include language education, teacher professional development, and the study of Chinese characters and calligraphy. He is the author of Chinese Calligraphy and Culture and Zhang-style Cursive Script, along with numerous scholarly articles.
Yawei Li Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Dr. Yawei Li (李亞偉) is a lecturer of Chinese language and culture. Besides teaching language courses, she develops disciplinary courses enriching diverse Chinese programs across institutions, creating curricula that are rigorous and engaging. Guided by three principles—integrating culture, ensuring inclusive access, and enhancing cultural awareness and personal development—her award-winning calligraphy curriculum combines creativity, self-reflection, and student-centered performance. It introduces students to traditional Chinese culture while illuminating the transition between traditional and popular culture, fostering active, critical thinking and appreciation of aesthetics. Through Chinese calligraphy, she inspires students to see the world, see others, and see themselves. This approach nurtures personal growth, intercultural competence, and the mindset of open-minded global citizens prepared for lifelong learning.
Zijun Shen Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Zijun Shen is a Taiwanese Chinese language instructor who has taught at universities in Taiwan, Germany, and the United States. In recent years, she taught advanced-level Chinese courses at Indiana University’s Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, integrating multimedia, and cultural themes into language learning. She began learning kaishu (regular script) as a child, and in recent years has self-studied lishu (clerical script) and xingshu (semi-cursive script). Passionate about Chinese calligraphy and and the teaching of Chinese characters, her work aims to guide students to discover their own voices and express their emotions through the art of calligraphy.
Extracurricular and Calligraphy Clubs
Haiping Sun Best Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Haiping Sun holds a Master’s degree in Ancient Chinese Literature and has been teaching at Qingdao University since July 1995, specializing in Chinese as a Second Language, Chinese culture, and Chinese calligraphy. She has extensive international teaching experience, having served as a Chinese language professor at Shimonoseki City University in Japan from April 2007 to April 2008, and as a Chinese language tutor at Bard College in the United States from August 2012 to May 2013. Since July 2022, she has been teaching Chinese language and culture at the Confucius Institute in Edmonton, Canada.
Meilian Wu Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Meilian Wu received her master’s degrees in East Asian Study from UPenn and in Teaching Foreign Language from MIIS. She is an assistant professor of Chinese at the Monterey Language Institute and the co-founder of its Inky Pond Calligraphy Club. In addition to teaching calligraphy lessons at the club for adult learners every week based on self-developed curriculum and materials, she also volunteers in teaching at a community calligraphy club aiming for enhancing young heritage learners’ interest in Chinese language and cultures.
Lin Tzu-Chi Outstanding Calligraphy Curriculum Design Award
Lin Tzu-Chi holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts and a Doctorate in
Chinese Literature. In addition to teaching calligraphy, she has
published numerous scholarly essays on the art form. Rooted in
tradition yet guided by creativity, her works blend classical elegance
with contemporary expression. She has received multiple honors and,
since 2024, has served as the calligraphy instructor for teacher
delegations from Southern California and the Greater New York area
visiting National Taiwan Normal University.