The Four Treasures are:
- Art
- Health
- Music
- Writing
With a bit of language thrown in the mix (suggesting French or Mandarin Chinese).
I adapted the concept from Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing’s Five Excellences which he determined to be Calligraphy, Painting, Poetry, Tai Chi, and Medicine. Somehow Music seemed to be missing here, and Painting and Calligraphy could both be considered ‘Art’ (or is Calligraphy considered Writing?) in the same way as Tai Chi and Medicine could both be ‘Health’.
So that left me with four tenets which I conveniently named the “Four Treasures” or in Chinese: Sì Bǎo (四宝).
Technically the “Four Treasures” references the Brush, Ink, Paper and Ink Stone used in Chinese calligraphy. But it is also a musical instrument from Fujian Province that consists of four rectangular bamboo sticks which make an insect like chirp.
Either way I like the concept so have labelled my philosophy for life the “Four Treasures”.
This website is the output of those four treasures: Art. Health. Music. Writing.
Check back any time and often to see what I have been up to regarding each of them.
Mel Christie
September 20, 2024
