Charlotte Nicod is practicing Calligraphy.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

“Knowing it is not as good as loving it. Loving it is not as good as delighting in it.” The Master’s words came to my mind when Charlotte told me her experience of learning Chinese calligraphy.

My colleague Charlotte Nicod, a twenty-something Swiss woman, is a big fan of Chinese calligraphy. She started learning it when she was only eight years old after seeing an exhibition of Chinese arts in Paris. The characters were so amazing and she loved them so much. She asked her parents to find a tutor to guide her, and soon she started weekly practice with her mentor. For years she traveled every weekend between her home in Lausanne and her teacher’s place in Geneva, regardless of the weather. The whole day’s work was undoubtedly hard for a small, 8-year-old girl. It took about three hours to make the round-trip. Besides, she spent seven hours practicing calligraphy, with only a less than one-hour break during lunchtime. But the world of calligraphy is such a fascinating wonderland that she totally indulged herself in it and forgot about being tired. Then she realized that she also needed to learn the Chinese language. ‘How can you write calligraphy well in your own way without knowing it’? she asked herself. And learning and practicing both Chinese and Chinese calligraphy lasted for about 10 years, until she entered university.

She made her first visit to China alone when she went Beijing during a summer vacation. She was 17 years old and still in high school. She had been seeking such opportunities to experience China. One day she saw information on the internet about a university in Beijing that had a program for foreign students to study Chinese. She got so excited, she flew to Beijing immediately. When she reached the advertised address, she found that it was a hotel. Obviously it was a fake advertisement and she was cheated, because after several days, she was still the only person who came for the language class. But she didn’t want to simply go back, because she had planned to study Chinese in Beijing for two months. One person told her if she could find a job then she could stay in the hotel, studying Chinese. Then she went outside and wandered on a nearby street. She was quite lucky. She got a job in sales at the Louis Vuitton shop, because they needed a person who was fluent in English and French, and with very good Chinese. She is indeed a capable girl. The Beijing trip turned out to be a pleasant adventure. She told me that she was so fond of Beijing. The hutongs, the old buildings, the local snacks, the calligraphy and paintings everywhere, and even Beijing accent in spoken Mandarin, all these made Beijing a unique and charming city.

Being impressed and inspired by the experience in Beijing, she searched for other chances to study in China after she went back to Switzerland. Hard work pays off. She got a chance to do a 6-month internship program as an international exchange student at Fudan University, Shanghai, while an undergraduate. Her Chinese improved greatly by living and communicating with other exchanging students, as well as Chinese students. It was really a happy and memorable time.

When our talk neared its end, she asked me one more question, ‘Judy, do you know why Laoban means BOSS? I really don’t know why an old board (Q; what does ‘old board’ refer to here?) refers to a boss in charge!’ Frankly I had no clue about it, I need to look it up in the dictionary also. Dear friends, could you please help with answering this question?