On an afternoon in winter, the sunlight shines through the window.

There are less than a week left until the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake. Cao Junping, a calligrapher, is intently writing Spring Festival couplets together with his "foreign apprentice" Sasha in his studio at the Hunan Cultural Center. With every horizontal, vertical, left-falling, and right-falling stroke, as well as every lift, press, turn, and transition, the master-apprentice pair show great tacit understanding.

Sasha, a Russian girl with blond hair and blue eyes, is Cao Junping's only "foreign apprentice". She loves Chinese characters and Chinese culture. When she writes calligraphy, her standard posture, focused expression, and neat strokes are astonishing.

On the first day of the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, Sasha, along with her fellow apprentices, went to places such as Changsha South Railway Station and Aiwan Pavilion to give away Spring Festival couplets. Her works were highly praised by many citizens and tourists.

"I'm very glad that people like my calligraphy. It gives me the motivation to move forward," Sasha smiles. She says that she will continue to stay in Changsha to refine her calligraphy skills and strive to become an envoy for spreading the art of Chinese calligraphy.

First "foreign apprentice" of calligrapher

Sasha was born in a village near the China-Russia border. Influenced by her artist father from a young age, she has a deep affection for Chinese culture and history. Her years of living in China have given her a more profound understanding of Chinese and Russian cultures, making her have a stronger interest in Chinese culture.

In August 2023, Sasha was introduced to Changsha, Hunan Province as an artistic talent. By chance, she met Cao Junping, the deputy director of the Hunan Cultural Center and a calligrapher. Fascinated by Teacher Cao's works, Sasha had the idea of learning calligraphy. In October of the same year, Sasha formally became Cao Junping's apprentice with a traditional Chinese apprenticeship ceremony.

"Other foreign friends I've met in China all like Chinese calligraphy and they are also practicing it," Sasha says.

When it comes to accepting Sasha as an apprentice, Cao Junping says that it was Sasha's sincerity that touched him. "She really loves Chinese culture and wants to learn calligraphy, so it just happened naturally."

Cao Junping, who has taught more than 20,000 students in over 30 years, has always advocated the educational concepts of "teaching without discrimination" and "teaching students in accordance with their aptitudes". He tailored a set of teaching methods for his "foreign apprentice" Sasha, guiding her to learn the official script, which is relatively easy to learn. She began by learning how to write the character "fu" (meaning fortune) and the Chinese zodiac animals, and was encouraged to fully demonstrate her own characteristics in her creations.

After a year of practice, Sasha can now write with great ease: laying the paper, dipping the brush in ink, and starting to write, all in one smooth motion.

"Next, I plan to teach her to write more difficult poems and short sentences," Cao Junping says with a smile. "I not only teach her calligraphy but also how to cook. Both cooking and calligraphy are important parts of traditional Chinese culture. Sasha is very smart and can do well in both."

When talking about the future, Cao Junping hopes to cultivate his "foreign apprentice" into a disseminator of calligraphy art in the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, contributing to enhancing the international influence of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese culture.

Bringing Chinese culture "back home"

From a Chinese culture enthusiast to a "foreign apprentice" of calligrapher, Sasha thinks this process is "truly magical", and her life has also undergone tangible changes due to learning calligraphy.

"Learning Chinese has become much easier for me because I already know how to write the characters." Now, whenever Sasha strolls along the streets in Changsha, she can recognize many of the Chinese characters she has written on the ubiquitous road signs and signboards. This has also enhanced her understanding of Chinese phrases.

To her pleasant surprise, calligraphy has a great effect on self-cultivation. "When I'm writing, it feels like I'm meditating. This process makes me completely relaxed and focused," Sasha says. She finds it incredible that practicing calligraphy also helps improve her memory.

Besides calligraphy, Chinese Yangko (a rural Chinese folk dance) and tea ceremony have also left a deep impression on Sasha. In the future, she will experience more of traditional Chinese culture and participate in more folk activities.

Soon, Sasha will return to Russia to celebrate the first Spring Festival of intangible cultural heritage with her family and friends. "My parents and friends all know that I'm learning calligraphy in China. I'll take the writing brush, ink stick, paper, and inkstone back home and teach them how to write Chinese characters with a brush. They will surely be fascinated by Chinese calligraphy!"

"Every Spring Festival, quite a few Russian tourists come to China to welcome the New Year with the Chinese people," Sasha says. The joyous and reunion-oriented Chinese Spring Festival is becoming increasingly well - known among Russians. This Spring Festival, she will tell her family and friends back home the interesting stories that happened to her in China, letting them understand and fall in love with Chinese culture just like she did.

Both Changsha and calligraphy are "what she wants".

"I've been to many cities in China, but Changsha is the most special. People here are so laid - back and friendly. They take good care of me as a foreigner." Although she has a natural affinity for China, cultural differences still pose some challenges to Sasha in her daily life. However, whenever she encounters difficulties, warm-hearted Changsha citizens are always ready to offer a helping hand, which deeply touches her.

During this year in Changsha, Sasha has gradually fallen in love with this open and inclusive city and has also integrated into the local life. "I couldn't eat spicy food at all before, but now I can. Maybe after a while, I can eat very spicy food!" When referring to the differences in food culture between China and Russia, Sasha exclaims that it's "not a problem". She is now very accustomed to Hunan cuisine and has even mastered several dishes.

Authentic delicacies, convenient transportation, pleasant weather, and warm-hearted people... These are all the reasons why Sasha loves Changsha. She plans to bring her parents to visit Changsha in the near future, taking them to experience the vitality and the hustle-and-bustle of this city, and to try calligraphy at the same time.

"I'll continue to work and live in Changsha." Sasha says that in the future, she will participate in more work related to traditional Chinese culture and develop deeply in the field she loves.

Hearing her teacher Cao Junping's expectation of cultivating her into "an envoy for spreading the art of calligraphy", Sasha is a bit shy, but her eyes are firm. "It's a challenging task, but it's where my heart longs to be. Practice makes perfect, and I'll work hard for it."

Source：Changsha Evening News