> but reading a fluent writer's handwriting ("unconstrained", as they call it in the article) is nigh impossible.
It is when you are starting out, but it's not so bad once you get used to it. The best way to learn to read Chinese handwriting is to learn to write Chinese handwriting, and I don't just mean practising writing by hand, but to work through a textbook aimed at teaching cursive Chinese.
This book is a good introduction in English [0], and if you are comfortable with Chinese only, this book is excellent and also far more comprehensive [1].
Once you've gone through those books, you'll be able to read most handwritten stuff without too much struggle.
It is when you are starting out, but it's not so bad once you get used to it. The best way to learn to read Chinese handwriting is to learn to write Chinese handwriting, and I don't just mean practising writing by hand, but to work through a textbook aimed at teaching cursive Chinese.
This book is a good introduction in English [0], and if you are comfortable with Chinese only, this book is excellent and also far more comprehensive [1].
Once you've gone through those books, you'll be able to read most handwritten stuff without too much struggle.
0: https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cursive-Script-Introduction-P...
1: https://www.amazon.cn/图书/dp/B00C907XM2