Calligraphic conversations with nature

Xu Liming's small office is often packed with students coming for advice or casual talk, which for Xu is never unpleasant because their conversation revolves around his favorite subject - calligraphy.

The 54-year-old teaching professor at Nanjing Art Academy is one of China's top contemporary calligraphers. Among the numerous awards he has received is the 2001 Lanting Award, the highest award in the field of calligraphy in China.

Critic Zhu Haiyan, a calligrapher herself, said Xu's cursive style is "a reminder of Chinese landscape paintings and more recently of a strong tide smashing on a rocky beach".