Something to write home about

To get into the spirit of it, he wears a traditional costume at home, and he has set up a separate area with traditional Chinese wood furniture where he drinks tea instead of coffee.

Li Xiaoya, CEO of Hanxiang, a calligraphy training company in Beijing, says the number of adults learning calligraphy is increasing.

Women who learn calligraphy are often 20 to 30, while the men are more than 40 years old, says Li. "They all want to cultivate their minds through calligraphy," she says.

Li Xiaoyang, a government officer in Beijing, paid about 7,000 yuan ($1,032) for a year-long calligraphy course.

The 31-year-old mother of a 4-year-old boy usually spends some time writing calligraphy after playing the drum with her son. She also likes yoga and running, which are popular among mothers of her age in China.

Unlike some mothers who spent time doing online shopping and watching TV dramas, Li Xiaoyang says she likes to sit down reading books. But recently, she has taken to calligraphy.

"I thought it was just another kind of handwriting, but the more I practice, the more I realize it is much more than that," she says.

She says calligraphy needs a good knowledge in literature, history and philosophy to get some achievement in it.

"It's a lifetime's practice," Li Xiaoyang says.

When she posts her calligraphy work on social media, she receives lots of likes and much praise for how graceful the characters look. "I now want to explore more Chinese culture," she says.