來源：美國北卡州費佛爾大學學報​​（2014）

Pfeiffer Professor Places Sixth in the Classic China International Publishing Project, 2011

The Brush Speaks an Ancient Civilization - The Six Writing Styles of Chinese Calligraphy originally proposed by Professor Yan in 2010, written by professor Weihong Yan and Dr. Hong Zhao was presented by the China Higher Education Press and won sixth place among 46 nominations in the Classic China International Publishing Program, a flagship international publication program sponsored by the General Administration of Press and Publication Administration of the P. R. China. The competition is designed to increase mutual Understanding between the people of China and the people of other countries. This program includes excellent works in the fields of philoso-phy, politics, law, economics, military theory, history, classics and contemporary literature and art. Of over 260 Chinese academicians and international scholars who applied for the program, 46 were selected. The first rank of winner was Justin Yifu Lin, professor of economics at Beijing University. Lin is an internationally respected economist and former Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank, Washington. Professor Weihong Yan is the first American citizen to win the sixth rank.  

Dr. Hong Zhao, a distinguished Chinese calligrapher, is one of the members of China National Calligraphy Association, Beijing, professor of Chinese calligraphy, Capital Normal University. Weihong Yan is Assistant Professor of Chinese language and Culture, as well as the Executive Director of the Confucius Institute at Pfeiffer University NC, USA. Yan and Dr. Zhao have been collaborating and engaging in interdisciplinary research related to Chinese calligraphy, and Chinese language teaching for non- native speakers, and Chinese calligraphy and western art for three years. This book is a result of their collaborative research, which is aimed at promoting Chinese language overseas through deepening understanding of the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy. According to Yan, "The ancient and mysterious art of Chinese calligraphy fascinates people. Chinese calligraphy is the foundation of Chinese culture. This book talks about the evolution of the Chinese characters over 5,000 years from the perspectives of both Chinese and Western aesthetics. It is really a unique and fun book for people to read." Dr. Zhao said: "If you understand Chinese calligraphy, you will understand 5,000 years of Chinese culture and even China.” By studying and understanding Chinese calligraphy as an art, one can also learn about Chinese history, archeology, politics, literature, philosophy, poetry, and ethics. From the perspectives of Zhao and Yan, Chinese calligraphy is viewed as an art form embodying Chinese principles of artistic expression the same way that abstract painting and sculpture embody western aesthetics.

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Speaking to the presentation style of the book, Yan also says: "Using western aesthetic ideas and artistic languages makes it easier for western students to appreciate the art of writing characters. The idea is to utilize western artistic languages such as American Pop Art, especially Minimalism to design this book. We attempt to make the aesthetics of the characters more comprehensible to western viewers by presenting them in a more familiar artistic context. “Chinese calligraphy has over 5,000 thousand years of history. No one Chinese calligrapher has ever put the six of scripts in one book that will be written in three languages: Chinese simplified and traditional characters, English and Spanish. The size of the book is 50cm x50cm x10cm, and 430 pages, which is an off-shelf book that is visible and noticeable to all people. This is going to be a remarkable book, and it will become the #1 history of the six scripts of Chinese Calligraphy in the world.

Ouyang Zhongshi, a renowned Chinese calligrapher and calligraphy educator and master of Chinese calligraphy comparable to Western artists such as Picasso, provided the title for this book along with indispensable advise and guidance. Dr. David Heckel, Chair of Humanities, and Director of the Confucius Institute at Pfeiffer University. NC. USA translated the book from Chinese into English.