Thousands of calligraphers operate daily in Chinese public spaces, practising the art of Dishu, in which they use the ground as canvas. This is the first survey on contemporary calligraphic practices in Chinese public spaces, documented in 2011 in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang. It takes the form of a photographic essay, which traces the roots of this phenomenon and its development in Chinese society, analyses the do-it-yourself tools designed for street lettering and explores its possible transposition into other writing cultures.
