Calligraphy is everywhere in China. This page is dedicated to some of the calligraphy I have spotted hanging on the walls in public places, restaurants, hotels, and meeting rooms.
至味似淡
至人似常
See the calligraphy on the way up the stairs?
Where: Soup King Restaurant
On the staircase up to more floors in the restaurant
In Zhang Jiang Zhen, an old town that served the farming community before the development of the High Tech Zone. Lots of “common folk” live here and come to eat the fantastic soup that this restaurant makes in huge pots. The soup and food are mostly cooked in the Cantonese style, light in flavor and fragrant. If you want to try some, make sure you get there early, because the soup is gone quickly.
The calligraphy reads:
至味似淡
Zhi4 wei4 si4 dan4
The highest flavor is (light, not heavy)
至人似常
Zhi4 ren2 si4 chang2
The highest person is (ordinary, regular)
And perhaps this is why we compliment someone by saying “she is the salt of the earth” in English?