Charm of writing has growing appeal as a way to find inner peace

Having resumed the childhood interest she learned from her grandfather, Ma bought the tools she needed. She has about 30 writing brushes, although she mostly uses only two of them. Part of her bookshelf is filled with various types of rice paper.

Sometimes, when she completes a piece that she is satisfied with, she will post it on her social media account, receiving lots of likes and praise from her friends.

"Just like my peers who love watching TV dramas or playing games, writing calligraphy is a way for me to entertain myself. It makes me happy," Ma says.

Ma is one of the growing number of Chinese people who are turning to this traditional art form to pursue spiritual peace in the era of technology.

On popular video-sharing platforms, such as Douyin, a short video recording the process of writing calligraphy can receive hundreds of millions of views. Tens of thousands of viewers post their works following the video and exchange opinions on how their calligraphic works look.

At a time when people usually use a computer keyboard for writing, the ancient Chinese art of writing with a history of several thousand years still leaves an indelible mark on people's lives, according to Fang Jianxun, a researcher at the calligraphy education and research center of Peking University.