Approximate Measurements
Artwork Panel: 32.2cm x 32.3cm ≈ 12¾" x 12¾"
Silk/Brocade: 41.3cm x 88.3cm ≈ 16¼" x 34¾"
Width at Wooden Knobs: 50.3cm ≈ 19¾"
Close up view of the artwork mounted to this silk brocade wall scroll
Chinese Calligraphy Scroll
This is a common gift for Chinese couples getting married or newly married couples, but is appropriate for anyone for whom you wish the greatest of happiness.
As we say in the west, "Two heads are better than one" Well, in the east, two "happinesses" are certainly better than one.
This is not really a character that is pronounced very often - it's almost exclusively used in written form. However, if pressed, most Chinese people will pronounce this "shuang xi" (double happy) although literally there are two "xi" characters combined in this calligraphy (but nobody will say "xi xi").
In Chinese, "xi" is pronounced like "she" but with your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth and your teeth slightly open (there is no sound in English exactly like this).
This piece is painted with special Chinese ink on rice paper mounted to a traditional silk scroll.
Customize and personalize a Double Happiness painting or wall scroll
I met Cao Bin years ago, and long before his fame. At that time, his wife was running a small house cleaning business. One day she was tidying up my mother-in-law's home in Beijing and overheard that I am in the business of selling Chinese calligraphy and artwork. She asked if I'd like to meet her husband who was a pretty good calligrapher as she described him with modesty.
The next evening, I visited his modest studio and saw some really nice calligraphy and great black ink bamboo paintings that he'd just finished. After a lot of tea drinking and chatting, I asked if I could commission a few pieces.
Through the years, I would occasionally buy a few more pieces, not realizing how famous he had become. I might pop by his studio, only to hear from his wife that he was down in Anhui receiving an award for his calligraphy (calligraphy competitions are comparable to the fervor that sports championships have in the rest of the world). It finally dawned on me that this man I had known for about 7 years was a premier calligrapher for whom books had been published featuring his work, and the recipient of numerous awards.
The best part is that I have guanxi (a word that kind of means "special relationship" in Chinese), he gives me better prices than anyone else. This really fits well with my philosophy to offer high quality Asian artwork that everyone can afford.
When I first met him, Cao Bin had a shaved head like a Buddhist monk. Years later, he has traded in that look for the ponytail that is expected of the eccentric Chinese artist
A frenzy of people watch Cao Bin create his calligraphy during a special event
Cao Bin at his studio
Full view of Cao Bin's calligraphy studio
This is painted on xuan paper (often incorrectly called "rice paper"). The raw artwork was then taken to my workshop in east Beijing where the master mounter built it into a handmade wall scroll.