Wu Bin, 42, vice-chairwoman of Shandong Association for Young Calligraphers, teaches children calligraphy on Sept 4. Li Yang/China Daily

Wu Bin has been teaching calligraphy for 20 years and believes the ancient art still has a role to play in the digital age, when typing on a keyboard is replacing handwriting.

Wu, 42, is a teacher at Huayuan Road No 2 Elementary School of Jinan, Shandong province, and conducts a weekly calligraphy class to students aged from 6 to 16.

She said her students benefit from the quiet, calm environment she creates in her classes. They also enjoy the cultural and historical background she gives them along with instructions in the actual writing of various scripts.

"All the arts are interlinked," Wu said. "We should learn the rhythm of change from Michelangelo's sculpture The Genius of Victory, which depicts the winner in detail and the loser only in rough lines, and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, often called the 'Fate', whose power comes from its highs and lows."

Wu started learning the discipline of calligraphy from a master when she was 11. From the master she also learned how to pass on the art to children.

Wu adapts her teaching in accordance with each student's ability, which makes her classes more individualized and rewarding.

"She (Wu) suggested several copybooks of calligraphy to me after she got to know me and let me make the final choice (of a certain calligraphic style)," said Xu Jiapei, a 13-year-old middle school student, who for seven years has practiced the calligraphic style of Zhi Yong, a master of the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618).

Wu insists her students learn from ancient masters directly, especially famous calligraphers of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, the golden age of Chinese calligraphy.

Wu thinks young students can learn new skills quite quickly. She said it does not take long for them to go from basic regular script to running script and even the cursive form.

"We should not underestimate their abilities," she said. "They just need the right guidance and encouragement."

Taking part in calligraphy exhibitions and competitions at various levels enables the students to see that their efforts have paid off, Wu said. Winning a prize is an immediate inspiration for them.

However, Wu carefully controls the number of competitions her students enter.