Editor’s Note :
Chinese culture lives not only in grand narratives, but also in carved words, calligraphy, painting, and music—where its spirit and beauty quietly endure.
Cultural Express launches its new Culture column to rediscover the warmth and elegance of Chinese culture in everyday life.
In this issue, 92-year-old Professor Teresa Sun reflects on twelve woodcarved classical inscriptions by her late husband,
Terry Sun, revealing the warmth and beauty of Chinese culture.
With a stress-free mood, I am happy that my last writing finally fulfilled the series.
But, suddenly, a deep feeling of remorse washed over me for becoming so absorbed in writing my opinion on Terry’s quote at work that I completely neglected to discuss his creative process, which requires enormous focus and nerve raking.
The enclosed work is the best example to discuss his creative experience.
Brush & Heart · Script & Spirit
Terry resumed his hobby of calligraphy after retiring from a thirty-year career as an engineer.
His style was modeled after that of the famous calligrapher Yan Zhengqing (顏真卿). The best-preserved example of Yan's work today is the copy created by Tang Yankai (譚延闓).
Terry practiced calligraphy by copying Tang's "Record of the Magu Immortal's Altar" (麻姑仙壇記) at least ten times before transitioning to the li (隸) and zhuan (篆) styles.
He chose Tang poetry to write in these three different styles and found great enjoyment in the process.
While at the library, I was drawn to art books featuring artists' leisure seals. The imprints are not only beautiful, with calligraphy arranged and carved on various stones, jade, or crystal, but they also contain profound inscriptions, including proverbs, quotes from classical texts, poetry, and philosophical sayings.
The comments on life and social relationships are filled with wisdom. I presented two papers on the imprints of seals at the Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast Conference in consecutive years, 1971 and 1972.
Additionally, a paper titled "A Study of the Literary Quotations in Chi Pai-Shih's Seal Inscriptions: “Insights into His Religious Beliefs and Outlook on Life" was published in Asian Profile, a journal on Asian studies, in Volume 9, Issue 5, 1981.
Professor Teresa Sun and Family
Seals & Meaning · Wood & Poetry
Terry was so impressed by these imprints while exploring new developments in art through his calligraphy.
He felt a strong desire to share the imprint's calligraphy designs and thoughtful words with a wider audience, in addition to showcasing his own work.
With a fantastic imagination, he created a unique style of art work that featured enlarged seal imprints alongside his writings, which conveyed similar literary meanings.
Terry Sun with his carved seal-script work
Words & Love · Hand & Heart
The imprints on seals are often brief in wording but rich in meaning. He loves poetry and nature, and we had a great time searching for good literature for his pieces.
However, completing a piece technically was his work alone. First, enlarging a seal imprint and carving it out of a piece of wood requires extreme patience and a steady hand.
Then to glue each carved piece onto a board and add his brush writing was an equally challenging process.
If any piece was broken or a stroke was mistakenly written, it could ruin the entire work.
His endurance and exquisite to the very last detail were amazing. This particular piece consumed an immense amount of his energy and effort.
For this particular piece, there are a total of 100 characters, and each stroke of a character needs to be carved individually.
For each word, he used one bag to hold all the carved pieces, and glued them one by one. Afterward, he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.
Terry Sun’s 100-Character Wood carved Seal Script
In April 1995, he had his first exhibition at the Rubel Asiatic Research Collection in the Fine Art Library of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University.
Although he showcased only a few pieces, the exhibition created a sensation.
By his second exhibit, held at The Gallery of Palos Verdes Library at Malaga Cove in 1998, he had produced enough artwork to fill the entire exhibit hall.
In the following years, his work was displayed at USC, UCI, and the Irvine Fine Art Center. Of all the exhibitions, he was most excited to be invited to the Summer Art Fair at Laguna Beach from 2006 to 2009.
It was a deeply moving experience when his final exhibit took place at San Diego’s Historical Museum in 2011.
Although he had already been suffering from Alzheimer’s for four years, he attended the event and delivered a talk smoothly. I was in tears.
During his prime retired years, he pursued his hobby, and we purchased a large number of books from China on seal carving, some of which are rare copies.
The Huntington Library expressed interest in collecting after Terry’s passing. I donated 170 books for their research library.
Years ago, the library received our donation of five sets of antique ink collected by Terry's father.
Hopefully, they can be exhibited someday together with Terry’s work. （Article 12 of 12）
Teresa and Terry Sun: A Love Etched in Time
Afterword ：
This is the twelfth essay Professor Teresa Sun wrote for the cultural column, and the closing piece in her series inspired by her late husband Terry Sun’s wood-carved seal inscriptions.
In the first eleven essays, she used Terry’s seal carvings to explore allusions, life, and culture.
In this final piece, she turns to the quiet creator behind them—the hands that practiced calligraphy, carved wood, and poured a lifetime of devotion into each small seal.
She did not want readers to remember only her words, but also the source behind them: Terry Sun’s lifelong love for calligraphy, seals, and wood carving.
This final essay is both a tribute and a wife’s tender witness to her husband’s creative life.
A small seal can hold a world; a carved line can keep the years.
Terry preserved the beauty of seals in wood, while Teresa preserved his creative spirit in words—leaving behind a shared legacy of art, learning, and love. — Ken Lo
Click to Read More :
Article 1 of 12—May Flowers Bloom, the Moon Stay Full, and Life Be Long
Article 2 of 12—Heaven Moves, Man Strives
Article 3 of 12—The Confucian Way
Article 4 of 12—Nature’s Dao, Spirit’s Rest
Article 5 of 12—Matter of the world and my spirit will last forever
Article 6 of 12—Long Life Shared Moonlight
Article 7 of 12—Peace Within, Strength in Simplicity
Article 8 of 12—Bloom & Books · Water & Bamboo
Article 9 of 12—Righteous mind without flattery
Article10 of 12—Mind Shapes Life Effort Builds Fate
Article11 of 12—Books Untaxed Legacy Cultivated
About the Author :
Teresa Sun
Teresa Sun received her bachelor’s degree in Chinese literature from Taiwan Normal University, an M.A. in education from UCLA, and a doctorate from Seton Hall University.
She taught Chinese language and culture at California State universities and Whittier College for nearly 25 years, and was active in Chinese language education, cultural promotion, and community service. She has published papers and four books.
Terry Sun
Terry Sun graduated from National Taiwan University in mechanical engineering and continued his studies at USC. An outstanding HVAC engineer, he was named a Fellow of ASHRAE.
After retirement, he developed a unique artistic style combining wood carving and Chinese calligraphy, and his works were exhibited in museums and institutions.