Shen Tong in his study. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Shen Tong, aged 77, has been self-studying calligraphy since he retired from the Haimen Handkerchief Factory in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, in 2005.

Shen worked as a pattern designer for handkerchiefs and his designs have helped him secure more than 20 awards in national competitions.

After retiring, Shen did not want to put his pen aside and decided to learn calligraphy from scratch.

Shen expresses his confidence in victory over the Covid-19 pandemic through a calligraphy piece published in the Haimen Daily on April 19. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Shen started by copying rubbings from stone inscriptions from the Wei Dynasty (220-265) and gradually he came up with some novel ideas, including combining three different calligraphic styles.

As a result, Shen developed his own calligraphic style that is both vigorous and neat and since then, he has won many awards at provincial and municipal competitions for his distinctive calligraphy works.

A calligraphy work by Shen. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

In 2012, Shen's works were on display at the provincial calligraphy exhibition for newcomers, and two years later he was included as a member of the China Calligraphers' Association.

At the beginning of this year, Shen's calligraphy work was selected from among 273 entries for the gold award in the calligraphy competition organized by the Haimen Art Museum.

A calligraphy work by Shen. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]