Chinese calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is not only a practical technique for writing Chinese characters，but also a nique Oriental art of expression and a branch of learning or discipline as well.As a branch of learning，it is rich in content，including the evolution of writing styles，development and rules of technique，history of calligraphy，calligraphers and their inheritance in art，and evaluation of calligraphy as a work ot arthis branch ot learning is wide-ranging and deep，torming an important part ot Chinese culture.

Two aspects of Chinese calligraphy distinguish it from other calligraphic arts:the nature of Chinese characters and the use of the brush.the structure of Chinese characters，each ot which occupies a square space，and their rich connotations make them an ideal calligraphic medium The softness and elasticity of ink brushes make them ideal tools to express the changing styles of calligraphy.A line made with the stroke of a brush may present different tastes of writing styles.This can be completed only with an ink brush.

Calligraphy integrates the aesthetics of painting with those of music and dance.It boasts the rhythm of music，the posture of dance and the pattern of painting.Form，quality，posture，style and reasoning are conbined，making substance abstractive to produce a lasting feeling of beauty.

There are three elements in Chinese calligraphy.The first is maneurerability.This requires the skillful control of the brush，the scientific movement of the fingers，elbow and body and effective use of the ink.The brush nmust be controlled to move on the paper at the right speed with the required force，quick or slow，light or heavy，lifting up or pressing down to form various types of brush sharpness，mid-way or side cutting，or hidden or exposed point.

The second element of Chinese calligraphy is the structure.This refers to the layout of the points and the erecution of the brush movement.It makes the combination of the strokes of each character full of life and animation.

The third element is the style.This refers to the taste，style and quality of the work.It requires the skillful expression ofa combination of beauty in form and in quality of the work so as to give a vivid presentation as a result of the producer’s inspiration.

Throughout the 4，300-year history of calligraphy，it has ndergone the stages of the Script on Shell-and-Bone，the Script on Bronze Vessels，the Big and Small Seal Script，the Official Script，the Cursive Script，the Running Script and the Regular Script.

The script on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang dynasty is outstanding eampes of metal-tool calligraphy.The words are of different sizes，the forms being narrow and long，with strokes that are sharp and slim.This feature of primitive calligraphy leaves the impression of being stiff and plain.The inscriptions on bronze vessels have different features from those of bone-and-shell in that the brush strokes have roundness，smoothness，fullness and roundabout turns.

The pre-Qin script was of a system called Big Seal Script.After the First Eperor of Qin united the states，the Big Seal characters were siplified and unified and turned into Small Seal Script，which were more legible and easier to write.Chinese characters were improved to basically neat rectangular words，to even and round lines of strokes，and to relatively fixed positions of the word structures.

The official Script siplified the coplicated strokes of seal script and used a bend instead of a roundabout turn. With the popularity of the Official Script, Chinese characters began to shed the pictographic features and became a kind of writing symbols. These changes increased the efficiency of writing greatly and marked a milestone in the development of both Chinese characters and Chinese Seal

official

Cursive

Regular

Calligraphy，as an art，is used to express the ideas，accomplishments，and feelings of the calligrapher.It is an expression of the outlook on culture，history and life in various ages，a tangible culture parallel to ideology，and a medium for conveying cultural infornation of all kinds.

Nowadays，Chinese calligraphy faces great challenge.The challenge comes from the development of computer technology:people are starting to type words rather than to write.This makes calligraphy gradually lose its practicality.Elementary school children may query their teachers:If I can type，why do I have to practice handriting？another exaple is that the naes of buildings，which were comonly Though the different fonts installed in our coputer systen are copied from calligrapher’s works，the essence of calligraphy is still lost.Art is not to repeat，but to create.It is the unioue creation that distinguishes art from technique.

qingquang

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