QINGDAO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) — A Chinese calligraphy artist whose work was previously relegated to the streets will have a typeface named after him after a font developer discovered his talent through a popular microblogging website.
For nearly a decade, Cui Xianren eked out a living by showcasing his calligraphy on the streets, writing traditional characters on a board with crippled hands.
However, on Tuesday he hopped on a train bound for the southern city of Shenzhen to meet representatives from Founder Type, a font developer that has promised to create a new font based on Cui’s calligraphy, as well as give him profits from the sale of the font for the next 50 years.
Founder Type discovered Cui via Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging site, according to Wang Haichao, manager of the company’s product department. An Internet user posted photos of Cui’s work on Weibo, resulting in an outpouring of praise and thousands of reposts.
“Cui’s upright and fashionable calligraphy has great commercial potential. We really admire his handwriting, as well as his perseverance,” Wang said.
Xinhua
