Center provides hands-on experience

When Wang Jing, a 41-year-old mother of two girls, described their July study tour in Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius in Shandong province, she said they reaped far more than expected.

"My little daughter said she didn't know there were so many types of brushes for calligraphy," Wang said, noting that she saw around 100 brushes of different sizes and materials hanging on the wall of an area where visitors can experience the art.

The experience center was developed by the Confucius Institute headquarters and began trial operations in April. Located at the Confucius Research Institute, the center covers 18,000 square meters and has two experience areas, as well as a collection of Confucian classic texts.