Cultural courses

Find out about cultural courses in association with the Confucius Institute.

Chinese calligraphy

Activity description

Calligraphy (shufa) is the traditional art of writing Chinese characters, and a fundamental part of Chinese culture. After centuries of evolution, calligraphy has developed into a truly unique art form. This course will focus on learning how to use Chinese brushes and ink, mastering the basic strokes that underpin Chinese writing and understanding the structure of Chinese characters. Participants will be introduced to regular script and practice writing calligraphy in this style. No previous knowledge of Chinese is required.

Spring 2024 calligraphy course: We are running a 5-week calligraphy course at 1:00 - 1:50PM on Thursdays between 16 May – 13 June, 2024.

It will take place at the Confucius Institute and will cost £30.

Please be aware that this room is up one very steep flight of stairs and that there is no lift.

Spaces are limited. Please email us (confucius@manchester.ac.uk) ASAP to book the space.

Chinese brush painting

Activity description

These sessions will focus on introducing students to the fundamentals of Chinese brush painting. Participants will also be introduced to this aspect of Chinese culture and the history and philosophy behind it.

Tai Chi

Course description

Often described as 'meditation in motion', the ancient art of Tai Chi has been practised for many centuries as a method of improving health and wellbeing.

The gentle movements are designed to restore balance to the nervous, digestive and immune systems. Tai Chi also lowers blood pressure, and some believe that it can increase longevity. It is gentle on the joints and not strenuous, so it won't make you perspire or leave you out of breath, but will stimulate the mind, calm the nerves and help to keep you fit.

This course, run by a Tai Chi master, will follow the traditional Chen style Tai Chi which combines the theory of Yin and Yang, Taoist doctrine and classical martial arts routines.

Please check here regularly to see when we are next running a Tai Chi course.