Calligraphy and painting are two of the greatest and most precious art forms in China. Since ancient times they have been the pursuits of many scholars in China. In the course of more than 2, 000 years of development, these two forms of art have been deeply influenced by the Daoist respect for nature and the Confucian ethics.

They have absorbed many natural and social humanistic factors and used the simplest form to express the infinite variety and richness of art.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the quintessence of Chinese culture. The writing of the Chinese characters is not only used for normal communication, but also is a great form of art. This section introduces the basic history of Chinese calligraphy and the representative calligraphers and works of various calligraphy styles, while giving further explanation of the tools and requirements of calligraphy creation and the aesthetic pursuit of calligraphy.

What is Calligraphy?

In ancient Chinese, “calligraphy” originally refers to the “method of writing”. In this sense, all the Chinese characters have their own “calligraphy”. Because of the particularity of the shape of the Chinese characters, the calligraphy of the Chinese characters has a special artistry and is a great art form in China.

Since the creation of the Chinese characters, ancient Chinese people had been exploring how to write the Chinese characters more beautifully and artistically. With the development of papermaking, the writing instrument became easier and easier to obtain, and writing difficulty gradually decreased. Eventually, Chinese people created a unique art – calligraphy.

Calligraphy is closely related to the life of Chinese people. There is almost no place it cannot be found – plaques on doors in public places, decorations in living rooms of ordinary people’s homes, Spring Festival couplets and “Fu” characters pasted on Chinese New Year’s Day, inscriptions on fans and even tattoos on young people. It can be said that where there are Chinese people, there is calligraphy.

Not only Chinese people but also many foreigners like calligraphy. In ancient China, calligraphy has spread to the neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Today, many foreign friends are calligraphy lovers who have played a positive role in the spread of Chinese calligraphy.

The history of Chinese calligraphy and the development of the Chinese characters were simultaneous.

Cultural Notes

Papermaking

One of the Four Great Inventions in ancient China. It refers to a set of techniques for making paper invented in the 2nd century. Papermaking provides the material conditions for the development and dissemination of human culture.