Introduction to Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is an art unique to Asian cultures. Shu (calligraphy),hua(painting),qin(a string musical instrument),and qi(a strategic boardgame) are the four basic skills and disciplines of the Chinese literature.
Regarded as the most abstract and sublime form of art in Chinese culture ,”shu fa”(calligraphy) is often thought to be the most revealing character of one’s personalityDuring the imperial era,calligraphy was used as an important criteria for selection of executives to the imperial court.Unlike other visual art techniques，all calligraphy strokes are permanent and incorrigible，demanding careful planning and confident execution，like the skills required for an administrator executive.While one has to conform to the defined structure of words，the expression can be extremely creative.
Being one of the world's oldest continuously used and active writing systems, Chinese characters can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC). Over thousands of years, the writing of Chinese characters has been evolved into a highly regarded art form, which is often called Chinese calligraphy.
Calligraphy is considered as a treasured artistic form of Chinese culture. It is not merely a practical technique for writing Chinese characters or a tool for written communication, but also, more importantly, a unique expression of the spiritual world of the calligrapher.
Calligraphy conveys the emotions, esthetic feelings, moral integrity and character of the calligrapher. Appreciators of calligraphy can even tell the character, temper or the change of the calligrapher’s social situation by appreciating his/her work.
The ink stick, ink stone, writing brush and paper are the four essential implements of calligraphy. They are known together as the Four Treasures of the Study. These four "tools" have been employed by artists throughout China’s history, from ancient to modern times. Seals are stylized carvings of the artist's name, and it is customary for an artist to use both his/her signature and personal seal on finished paintings, poetry, calligraphy, documents and letters.
Categories
Chinese traditional calligraphy mainly falls into 6 categories: Seal Characters, Official Script, Formal Script, Running Script, Formal Script, Running Script, and Cursive Hand.
Seal Characters 篆书 (zhuan shu)
Dragon (龙) as a Seal Character
It can be divided into Big Seal Characters and Small Seal Characters. The former appeared in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC) and evolved from oracle bone inscriptions. The neat structure of oracle bone inscriptions laid the foundation for the form of modern Chinese characters. The latter is more simple in form and more standardized in structure than the former. Small Seal Characters, known as Qin Seal Characters, were collected, compiled and prescribed by Li Si after the unification of China by the Qin Empire. Seal Characters are very elegant in style and are widely favored by people today in the creation of calligraphy works.
Official Script 隶书 (li shu)
Dragon (龙) in Official Script
It originated from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). The rise of official script is another reform in Chinese characters, ushering in a new stage of the development of Chinese calligraphy. In fact, it is a transition period in the history of Chinese character development, laying a solid foundation for formal script. Official script features a flat, neat and refined structure. When the Eastern Han Dynasty began, the left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke bent upwards. Other strokes were characterized by variations considered beautiful in calligraphy. The style of official script features diversification and it has high value for study.
Formal Script 楷书 (kai shu)
Dragon (龙) in Formal Script
It is also known as Zhengshu Script, and evolved from seal characters. It is simpler in structure and square in shape. To be specific, it is more standardized horizontally and vertically. The integral feature of formal script is neatness and orderliness, for which reason it is widely used and favored today.
Running Script 行书 (xing shu)
Dragon (龙) in Running Script
It is the cursive form of formal script. When carefully written with distinguishable strokes, running script characters look more like formal script, while when swiftly written, they look more like cursive hand. It was created during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). In general, it is convenient and highly practical for writing.
Cursive Hand 草书 (cao shu)
Dragon (龙) in Cursive Hand
Cursive hand is characterized by simplified and sketchy forms of characters. It was formed around the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-8 AD) and became prevalent in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). It has concise structures with borrowed components. Although it looks irregular, cursive hand has high artistic value beyond its practical worthiness.
这是专门介绍中国的书法（毛笔书法）的。
Chinese Calligraphy
The Chinese Brush Calligraphy is one of the traditional four arts which was once an important critical standard for the Chinese literati in the imperial era and now prevails not only in China but also worldwide as a unique branch of art.
Calligraphy is so abstract and sublime that in Chinese culture it is universally regarded to be the most revealing power of a person. While one has conformed to the defined structure of words, the expression can be displayed with great creativity by individuals.
To become an artist or expert in calligraphy, one has to practice word by word and stroke by stroke until the spirit of the practice gets into one's mind. Just as Chinese Qi Gong, the Chinese brush calligraphy can temper a person into a state in which one can apply subconsciousness got from the daily practice to control the concentration of ink and the compatibility of font and size of each piece or word.
In contrast to the Western calligraphy, diffusing ink blots and dry brush strokes are viewed as a natural and free impromptu expression. All the varieties of the operation depend on the mental exercise that coordinates the mind and the body to perform the proper sense to choose the proper way in expressing the content of the passage.
Calligraphy is considered as an active way of keeping one fit and health for the practice is either relaxing or self-entertaining. Historically, many calligraphy artists both in China and Japan were well known for their longevity.
__________
找的辛苦。
望彩乃。
