Zhang Binghuang: Sixty years of Taiwanese and Japanese calligraphy from brush to AI

From the TV program "Word of the Day" to writing for Japanese politicians, and then combining artificial intelligence to develop the digital calligraphy tool "e-pen", calligrapher Zhang Binghuang has used a brush to go through Taiwan-Japan exchanges for a decade.

He once wrote "Snowy Pines and Cypresses" for former Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, and also wrote "Wisdom, Benevolence and Courage" and "Noble and Powerful" for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. In 2026, he was awarded the Little Ribbon of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government for his long-term promotion of calligraphy cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

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● A high school work won an award in Japan, starting a year-long exchange

Zhang Binghuang’s fate with Japan began about 60 years ago. When he was in high school, his works were sent to Japan for exhibition through a calligraphy exchange between Taiwanese and Japanese students. Unexpectedly, he won an award and it was his first time to go to Japan to receive an award. This journey was like a seed that started a sixty-year-long calligraphy exchange between Taiwan and Japan.

After graduating from college and completing his military service, Zhang Binghuang originally engaged in trade. When traveling to and from Japan, he always brings a few satisfactory works to give to local friends. A Japanese business partner read his handwriting and told him directly, "This is ready for a solo exhibition."

Zhang Binghuang, who was only 28 or 29 years old at the time, with the help of friends, successively held solo exhibitions in department store galleries in Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama and other places. Calligraphy exhibitions in Japanese department stores not only exhibit but also sell works. As a result, almost all of his works were sold. Zhang Binghuang said with a smile that after doing some calculations, he realized, "It turns out that the money I earned from trading was not as good as writing."

● The hand of "One Word of the Day" has become the common memory of Taiwan

After returning to Taiwan after an exhibition in Osaka, Zhang Binghuang happened to meet the Ministry of Education's plan to promote the revitalization of traditional culture and hoped to produce a calligraphy TV program. He graduated from Shih Hsin University, majoring in film. He knows both calligraphy and imaging background, so he was selected to host the "Chinese Calligraphy" broadcast on Channel 3. At that time, as long as you open "Lao Santai", you can see him introducing calligraphy.

Later, in order to promote standard Chinese characters, he was responsible for the writing and teaching of China Television's "Chinese Character of the Day". The program was produced and broadcast twice, for a total of about 25 years. His hand holding a brush and writing each word slowly in the TV screen has become a common memory for many Taiwanese people.

● Write mottos for Japanese political figures and turn calligraphy into cultural diplomacy

"Calligraphy" is one of the Three Ways of Calligraphy in Japan. Japanese people's love for calligraphy exists not only in the cultural world, but also in the political and corporate circles. Zhang Binghuang observed that many Japanese politicians have their own mottos or spiritual indicators, and they even ask calligraphers to write them down and hang them in their offices for reading every day.

Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba liked "pine and cypress trees in the snow". When he was a member of the House of Representatives, he asked Zhang Binghuang to write and hang the work in the member's office. Later, when he became Prime Minister, he asked him to write a larger picture of "Pine and Cypress in the Snow" and put it in his official residence.

When Sanae Takaichi came to Taiwan and before he became prime minister, he was asked to write "Zhi Ren Yong"; after he became prime minister, he was asked to write "Noble and Majestic".

"Noble and powerful" is Sanae Takaichi's political motto. "Subtle" means noble and noble; "virtuous" means majestic and powerful. These four words reflect Takaichi's political stance and national outlook on building a "strong and wealthy Japan." During the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in September last year, she also wrote "noble and powerful".

Keiji Furuya, president of the Japan-Taiwan Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance, asked Zhang Binghuang to write "Looking A Thousand Miles Away" and hang the work right in front of his seat. When Zhang Binghuang visited, Furuwu specifically pointed to the work and told him: "Look, I sit here every day and I can see it when I raise my head."

Zhang Binghuang believes that when Japanese politicians think of turning their ideas into calligraphy works, they are willing to ask Taiwanese calligraphers to write instead of just Japanese calligraphers. This is a kind of cultural diplomacy in itself. "When they want to write their political ideas, they will think of Taiwanese calligraphers instead of just Japanese calligraphers. I think this is very good."

When asked if he had to choose four words to express to the current relationship between Taiwan and Japan, Zhang Binghuang wrote "beneficial and harmonious".

"Benefiting and Smooth" comes from Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection". It describes the scene of a warm breeze blowing and all things stretching. It means that Taiwan and Japan are communicating in a harmonious and smooth atmosphere, and the friendship is constantly moving forward. It can be said to be a very appropriate comment on the current relations between Taiwan and Japan.

● Claims to not be able to use Apple Pencil but makes digital calligraphy tool

About 26 years ago, Zhang Binghuang taught at Tamkang University, which happened to coincide with the rapid spread of computers. When writing articles and presentations, everyone began to use keyboards instead of typing, and no longer wanted to put pen to paper. For a calligraphy education promoter, this trend brings great pressure. "Keyboard writing takes precedence over writing, and calligraphy becomes difficult to teach because no one wants to learn it."

At that time, he came into contact with a digital Chinese language teaching project. Although the project was not implemented, it allowed him to truly see the power of computers for the first time. "I didn't understand computers at all at that time, but I thought that if computers were not used properly, calligraphy teaching would definitely decline."

The problem is that not only did there not be today's iPad back then, but there wasn't even a mature stylus. Zhang Binghuang and his team started from scratch and spent several years developing a digital pen and writing pad, which gradually developed into the current "e-pen".

In his early years, Zhang Binghuang promoted calligraphy on TV with a brush in his hand. Now the pen in his hand has become an e-pen. As long as he picks up his tablet and Apple Pencil, and then opens the specially developed app, he can "swipe" on the spot. However, while Zhang Binghuang was operating, he laughed at himself as a "computer idiot" and said, "I'm not that good at using Apple Pencil yet."

After years of research and development, the smart e-pen has recently made major breakthroughs, including ink shades, "flying white", "dry pen" and other effects that were difficult to fully present in the digital environment in the past, can now be vividly restored, allowing the e-pen to write with "ink charm".

On the other hand, the latest version also combines AI to turn artificial intelligence into a calligraphy teacher on call at any time. The system can search calligraphy collections of institutions such as the Palace Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Tokyo National Museum. After users find the work they want to study, they can select a section, adjust the size, and then directly convert it into a digital copybook.

Zhang Binghuang demonstrated on the spot using the Japanese national treasure "Shibai's Poetry Scroll". He extracted a piece of text from the museum collection, made a copy of it, and then practiced directly on a tablet. After writing, remove the base map and ask AI to analyze the font, structure and strokes. In just tens of seconds, AI can list the advantages, disadvantages and improvement directions of the work, and will provide guidance such as "This stroke is not in the right position", "This stroke is not heavy enough" or "This stroke was written too fast".

Zhang Binghuang said, "Students can write in the middle of the night. There is no teacher next to them, and the iPad can still tell you the problem directly."

In recent years, generative AI has become more and more powerful. In the future, just by giving instructions, it may be possible to generate a "Wang Xizhi style" calligraphy. Zhang Binghuang does not think that is the direction that digital calligraphy should pursue. "What does it have to do with you if AI imitates Wang Xizhi's writing? It was written by a robot, AI, not you."

He emphasized that the purpose of developing e-pen is not to allow the system to replace human writing, but to make learning easier and more efficient. Technology can help people find information, make copybooks, and analyze problems, but the last step should still be done by people themselves. "What you write is yours. If you rely on the system to write it for you, it is not yours."

● When he received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his first thought was "Fraud?"

In 2026, Zhang Binghuang was awarded the Little Ribbon of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government for his long-term promotion of cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Japan. However, when he first received the notice, he couldn't believe it. He recalled that at that time, a Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff member who did not speak Chinese well called him and asked him if the Japanese government was interested in awarding him the Rising Sun Seal and whether he would accept it. "I thought to myself, how is that possible?"

The other party explained the Rising Sun Seal and related procedures in detail over the phone. Zhang Binghuang listened and confirmed, and finally judged that "fraud cannot be explained so clearly", so he agreed to accept it in Japanese. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association subsequently contacted him, and he further learned that the Rising Sun Medal is divided into different levels. The Rising Sun Small Ribbon can be awarded to those who have made contributions to Japan in the fields of academics, art and culture.

The Japanese later asked whether he wanted to receive the medal in Taiwan or Japan. Considering that there are still courses and the time for the ceremony in Japan has not yet been determined, he finally decided to receive the honor in Taiwan and complete the ceremony in mid-June.

When Zhang Binghuang was interviewed by the Central News Agency, he showed his photo. His name was written on the official document and it was stamped with the "Great Seal of Japan." "Many Japanese people told me that they had never seen the Great Seal of Japan." Zhang Binghuang said that he was shocked when he actually saw this document.

A calligrapher from Taiwan with no political position was awarded the Japanese National Medal for his calligraphy creation and long-term cultural exchanges, which made him particularly cherish this honor.

● "Calligraphy is not a trivial art" You can also get national medals for writing

For Zhang Binghuang, the most important significance of the Rising Sun Ribbon Seal is not to add another touch to his personal resume, but to let more people see the value of calligraphy. "Calligraphy is not a trivial art, it is not just a small skill. The fact that it can receive such a noble medal from Japan means that this culture is valued and has received international attention."

He said that Taiwanese society sometimes does not respect calligraphers as much as Japan does, and calligraphers may even despise their profession. However, this award proves that even if it is just one of many cultural fields, calligraphy can still receive the highest level of recognition. "Those who write need not belittle themselves."

Before the Rising Sun Medal, Zhang Binghuang had only won science, technology and humanities-related awards the year before. A person who is famous for his calligraphy has not only received a national medal for cultural exchange, but also won a science and technology award for his participation in the development of digital tools. The two honors may seem to cross boundaries, but he believes that the principles are completely connected.

"I'm not a technology major, I'm just a writer, but I can get a technology award for using computers and participating in development. So what are people who study humanities worried about? How come they can't keep up with technology?"

Zhang Binghuang said that when he won awards in the past, he rarely took the initiative to publicize them to the outside world because he thought it was his own business. However, he was willing to share these two honors again and again, not to show off, but to tell everyone: There is no need to deny yourself just because you don't understand technology.

From the brush to AI, from the familiar hand of "One Word of the Day" to the calligraphy treasure hanging in the Japanese Prime Minister's residence, the 60 years Zhang Binghuang has gone through are not only the creative process of a calligrapher, but also a story of cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Japan and the advancement of traditional art into the modern era.