Parents see value in calligraphy

Traditional writing styles are thought to foster children's patience, self-discipline, restraint

After donning an apron and folding a piece of paper both horizontally and vertically, 10-year-old Jia Jia stood in front of his desk, dipped a writing brush in ink and began to form the Chinese characters for zheng zhi - integrity.

This is the second time the fourth-grade pupil has taken a calligraphy class and he is currently learning seal script, an ancient style of writing Chinese characters that arose during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). In the eyes of Jia Jia's teacher, he is progressing quickly.