Mizi Yue loved creating a dialogical dimension at the end of his lectures where he interacted directly with the learners and allowed them to ask questions for further understanding.
"Sir,why is it a must we learn the Qin and not the pipa?"Jiang Bihai Chen's question sounded rather humorous making the others laugh.
"In this era,people consider the Qin as the mother of instruments. Also a while ago I held classes where I taught people how to play the pipa. At first I was wondering why no single man signed up for the class. There were only young girls and a few middle aged women. When I asked them the reason why men didn't sign up for such classes they said people consider the pipa a feminine instrument. But I've seen men playing it so I don't know if it's a stereotype or what,"Mizi Yue explained.
The following day,when the students arrived,the seats were arranged outside the hall with drawing papers attached on small portable drawing boards. The boys sat directly across from the girls.
"Today we'll be learning calligraphy as a type of art in the first hour and painting in the second hour where we'll take a look at famous painters in our dynasty and their paintings. I changed the learning environment because I think it's good to have better lighting when drawing. Before we begin the actual calligraphy let me talk briefly about the two and what is required of you to do.Calligraphy and painting require paying attention even to the tiniest details. Just like a write decides who dies in the story,a painter decides the fate of their painting. Painters express themselves through paintings and also paintings and calligraphy act as decorations so we must try to make them perfect."
He gave the learners written samples of calligraphy techniques, explained the uniqueness of the characters in each technique and allowed them to practice. He then passed around checking their work.
"Loosen your grip on the writing brush a bit. Ensure your letters are carved in a curvy manner. Make them a little light like a fairy."
Wen Mingye suddenly became sensitive when Mizi Yue approached the boys' side. He looked at Mizi Yue from the corner of his eyes, tracking his every movement. This time he didn't want to attract Mizi Yue so he silently prayed for him to walk past him and approach others.
Wen Mingye was seated at the sixth position. When Mizi Yue reached the two students before Wen Mingye ,he gently tapped their tense shoulders and asked them to relax. This action did not only stop with the two ,Mizi Yue tapped Wen Mingye and one extra learner past Wen Mingye.
The calligraphy went pretty well with Jinxiu Zhi ,Yu Qianyue,Wen Mingye,Ye Xingchen ,Wen Hai and Tushan Yu being congratulated for having a better calligraphy. The painting session began with talking about several things that could be painted. Mizi Yue allowed them to name a few such as landscapes , portraits of people,flora and fauna.
"Give an example of a famous painting and their painter and what their painting style focused on ,"Mizi Yue posed another question hoping to revive the now dull students who seemed like they hadn't slept for a week or more.
" Sir, doesn't a painting style focus on what is painted there?"
"What I mean is what features he insisted on in the painting style or manner in order to bring out the desired painting or express a certain emotion on the painting," Mizi Yue clarified but it still sounded like jargon to them.
"Can you give us an example?"Jiang Bihai Chen insisted in a whiny manner.
Before Mizi Yue opened up to speak ,Wen Mingye suddenly raised his hand to answer.
"Elegy of the Phoenix by Gao Yi Feng focused on the interplay of light and shadow to emphasize the phoenix's symbolic association with rebirth and immortality."
"Good example."
"What kind of painting is that I've never seen it or heard of it?" Jiang Bihai Chen questioned back in confusion.
"If you haven't seen it then you probably haven't seen other paintings too."
"I've seen a painting of the Wuling Mountain , something to do with Celestial Peaks"
"The Majesty of the Wuling Celestial Peaks?"Mizi Yue asked
"Yeah that one and also Blossoms of the Enchanted Garden."
"If so then I will explain what the painting style focused on based on the two paintings. The Majesty of the Wuling Celestial Peaks is the paranomic view of Wuling Mountain ,it is painted in a monumental style that conveys the awe-inspiring presence and the spiritual quest for transcendence. In Blossoms of the Enchanted Garden, the style is rich in variety and colour to symbolize the fleeting beauty of life. In other terms, the painter emphasizes on certain details to bring the desired picture to life. Another example is Visage of the Divine Empress,where the painter focused on the intricate details of her attire and the subtle expressions of her demeanor."
Mizi Yue even used Wen Hai as an example to illustrate what details to focus on if someone wanted to paint a portrait of him. All this time ,Wen Xiang had lowered her drawing board to have a clearer view of Mizi Yue. This was the ideal man in her eyes,those beautiful eyes of Mizi Yue that complimented his gentle demeanor.