Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang
1963– · Yucheng
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang is a Chinese Muslim calligrapher known for Sini, the Arabic script shaped by Chinese brush practice. Born in 1963 in Yucheng, Shandong province, he began learning Arabic calligraphy at a mosque at about eighteen. He studied in Egypt and in 1997 became the first Chinese person to receive the Egyptian certificate of Arabic calligraphy. In Istanbul he later studied with Hasan Çelebi and Davut Bektaş; one research source says he received an ijaza from them and two other Istanbul masters. He taught the first systematic Arabic calligraphy course at the Islamic College in Zhengzhou, Henan. He writes Arabic with Chinese brushes, at times with a wide, multi-toothed brush in the Chinese 'one-stroke' manner. The British Museum acquired his 'Ninety-Nine Names of God' in 2005, and Harvard Art Museums hold his 'Bismillah' of 2003. In 2021 he completed a Quran in the Sini mushaf style.
Achievements
- First Chinese person to receive the Egyptian Certificate of Arabic Calligraphy (1997).
- The British Museum acquired his 'Ninety-Nine Names of God' in 2005.
- Harvard Art Museums hold his scroll 'Bismillah' (2003, 2004.104).
- Taught the first systematic Arabic calligraphy course at the Islamic College in Zhengzhou.
- Completed a Quran written in Sini mushaf style in 2021.
- Listed in The Muslim 500 (Arts and Culture).
Taught by: Hasan Çelebi, Davut Bektaş, Ferhat Kurlu, Ahmed Koçak
His work
The works of a living calligrapher are theirs: we show them only with their permission.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
Write in this tradition now →Living calligraphers you can buy from — signed originals on paper, from AED 550: Anwar Alhulwani (Thuluth) · Ahmed Alhawary (Jali Thuluth, Naskh) · Rasha Kasim (Kufi) — or every Naskh piece the store makes: Naskh collection.
Sources
- en.wikipedia: born 1963 Shandong, Sini, Zhengzhou Islamic College, 1997 Egyptian certificate en.wikipedia.org
- zh.wikipedia: born Yucheng, Shandong; Hui; British Museum 'Word into Art' exhibition zh.wikipedia.org
- ar.wikipedia: Arabic name; Egypt 1997; Zhengzhou class; 2008 study in Istanbul with Hasan Çelebi and Davut Bektaş; British Museum 2005 ar.wikipedia.org
- CALLFRONT (INHA research project): ijaza from Hasan Çelebi, Davut Bektaş, Ferhat Kurlu and Ahmed Koçak in Istanbul; first systematic course at Zhengzhou Islamic College; Sini mushaf Quran 2021 in 30 volumes; collections callfront.inha.fr
- Harvard Art Museums: 'Bismillah', 2003, hanging scroll, ink on paper, 72.8 x 138.2 cm, 2004.104, one-stroke (yi-bi shufa) style harvardartmuseums.org
- Gulf News, 15 Sep 2018 (Syed Hamad Ali): began at a mosque at 18; Cairo in the 1990s; Çelebi and Bektaş; British Museum 2005 gulfnews.com
- Herald (Dawn), 2016: born 1963 Shandong; also writes naskh and diwani; Harvard, Asian Art Museum San Francisco, National Museum of Scotland herald.dawn.com
- The Muslim 500 profile: born Yucheng; 1997 certificate; Quran 2021; 2022 guide to Chinese mushaf calligraphy themuslim500.com
Written by the MASHQ studio · last updated 2026-10-05. Further reading, the standard references in English: Sheila S. Blair, Islamic Calligraphy (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) · Annemarie Schimmel, Calligraphy and Islamic Culture (New York University Press, 1984) · Yasin Hamid Safadi, Islamic Calligraphy (Thames and Hudson, 1978).