Chinese characters as art? Students born in late 1980s are showing their creative take on their native language. Graduates from Peking University are displaying their graduate works to the public in Beijing.

The exhibition is named after the Chinese character "Ta" which is also pronounced Tuo. When it's read "Ta", it means to copy calligraphy. When it's read "Tuo", it refers to create. This is how the new generation interpret the centuries old Chinese characters. They start with tradition and then create a new look.

Liu Yuchen, graduate from Peking University said, "I want to reflect the emotion through filming different people writing the same character, 'Yong'. My piece is an investigation, carried out in Zhongwu village in Beijing. Zhongwu is small but is also a big melting pot in Haidian. The video I filmed in Zhongwu is shown here without any cuts in order to present the original look. All that I recorded is displayed. I don't draw any conclusions, leaving them to the viewer. It's just a beginning. My next stop is Shanxi province. "

Pu Lieping, the director of the graduates and Li Tiejun, the curator of the exhibition have worked together an improvised piece on the opening ceremony. Pu paints, inspired by the melody played by Li. Pu says the graduates' works give him the confidence to continue his experiments on art education.

Pu Lieping, teacher of Peking University said, "We want to make suggestions on higher education in contemporary art. We want to shorten the distance between knowledge and skills with the students learning the reality of society. What is the foundation of education of an art school is a big question, especially in the information age. It becomes a dead end if you teach from theory to theory. "

Pu Lieping lets students get widely involved in society, rather than learning in the classroom only. He and his students have travelled to many historical spots across China. He wants them to experience China's rich culture. Pu, a representative of the second generation of Chinese contemporary calligraphy, is inspiring the third generation. Artist Gu Jin from the first generation of China's modern calligraphy likes what is being created.

Artist Gu Jin said, "More than two decades ago, China had its first contemporary calligraphy art exhibition in the National Museum of Fine Art in Beijing. Today, when I see these pieces created by those who were born in late 1980s, I see the future. They are young students while I see myself as an old student. It's a bright future for the art of Chinese characters."

Plain or three dimensional, abstract or realistic, the young graduates are just starting on their journey to develop the art of Chinese characters.