If you want some words of hope and good cheer for the Year of the Tiger, you might want to turn to Ina Chang.
Chang is a master calligrapher, and during the Chinese New Year season, there’s a huge demand for her services creating traditional New Year’s blessings in elegant Chinese characters, written out in jet-black ink on bright red paper.
“Kung hee fat choy!” (Congratulations! Wishing you prosperity!), “Xin Nian Kuai Le!” (Happy New Year!) or “I bun wan li!” (One small investment can bring a return 10,000 times over!)
She has 10 such sayings for you, although according to tradition, there are actually dozens.
“People, when they are presented with too many choices, they don’t know what to choose,” she said. “So we only give you 10.”
Chang has been doing calligraphy since she was 8, joining her sisters for lessons with a teacher who lived in her tiny hometown in Taiwan. It was a convenient way “to kill some time,” she said with a laugh, but she soaked it in like ink on a brush. Soon she was winning local and state competitions.
“When I held a brush, it came easy for me,” she said.
So dedicated to calligraphy was Chang that when she moved to Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second-largest city, she braved a 30-minute moped ride through traffic to study with a teacher.
“Had I not come to the States, I would have kept practicing and also learned Chinese brush painting,” she said. “And I knew I would become a calligraphy teacher.”
Instead, Chang won a scholarship to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, coming here in 1999, and eventually getting into business. In 2003, she co-founded Aloha Data, a company that digitizes documents. She started doing calligraphy for local businesses, and things snowballed from there.
But before the pandemic, she had fulfilled her destiny and taught calligraphy at a local Chinese school. She still practices it every day, sometimes fulfilling requests. “Some people want to have babies this year, so I’ll write that,” she said. “Or they’ve purchased a new home for their children, and they’ll want to have something to go with that.”
Chang will appear at 1 to 3 p.m. today at Ala Moana Center (Ewa Wing Stage, Level 2). Ala Moana required preregistration, which is fully booked, but you can still watch Chang work, which is part of the experience.
She also will appear at 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at Royal Hawaiian Center; 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Tiffany & Co., Waikiki; noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Ka Makana Ali‘i shopping center; 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 6 at Kahala Mall; and 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 12 at the International Market Place.
Other events
>> In addition to Chang’s calligraphy session, the Royal Hawaiian Center will be hosting a lion dance at 5 p.m. Tuesday, along with Lunar New Year promotions and giveaways. Lion dances will be hosted by the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club. Watch the lions ask for lucky red envelopes from stores and restaurants hoping for prosperity in the new year.
>> Town Center of Mililani is celebrating the New Year on Saturday with keiki crafts, cultural activities and appearances by Miss Chinatown Hawaii and Miss Chinese Jaycees. Keiki can also receive a free plush toy tiger, while supplies last. The Asian Lion Dance Team will perform at 5 p.m.
>> The acclaimed Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association has several performances planned for the next week, including at 8 a.m. today at Pearlridge Center; 4:30 p.m. today at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club; 10 a.m Saturday at Hawaii Kai Towne Center; and 8 a.m. Feb. 6 at Kahala Mall.
>> Ala Moana Center already had its lion dances, but several retailers are offering tiger-themed products and promotions. The mall is also offering a free canvas tote bag for customers who make purchases of $125 or more at the center, and a selfie wall for those who want to share the fun. Visit alamoanacenter.com for details.
