Calligraphy and Culture
3 min readSeal
Red seal stamps always appear at the end of calligraphic works and paintings to show the identity of the author.They are more than just signatures and have the function to spice up the whole work.
Seals reflect the development of Chinese scripts.Zhuan Shu was the first script that appeared in history；consequently，the earliest seals employed Zhuan Shu.This explains why Zhuan Shu was known in English as Seal Script.This is also the reason why seal cutting is called Zhuan Ke in Chinese.As Chinese scripts evolved，other types of scripts also appeared on seals.
Traditionally，seal cutting is a type of handcraft.In recent years，this handcraft has been gradually replaced by machines.
Based on their functions，the seals can be classified into three categories:imperial seals，official seals，and private seals.Imperial seals，called Xi in Chinese，are symbols of the imperial power.Official seals are seals bestowed to court officials as a token of their authority.
Nowadays，there are still seals functioning as authority identity，which are called Gong Zhang. For example，at the beginning of a new semester，students must have their student ID card sealed by the officer for registration.Private seals which usually bear names are for personal use.This type of seals has a large variety in shape，size，and so on，showing the owners’personalities.
There are other types of seals，such as collector seals，which are used to show the collectors’ownership of the works.It’s common to see dozens of different seals on calligraphic works or paintings.Collector seals help to identify the authenticity of the works and can raise the value of the works as well.
Couplet
The couplet is a pair of lines that usually rhyme.Couplets are used on various occasions with different functions，such as expressing good wishes，decorating houses，and showing off one’s language skills.A couplet is composed of two long lines written on a pair of vertical strips in good calligraphy.The first line，called the upper line，is posted on the right side；the second line，called the lower line，is posted on the left side.The upper and lower lines are usually complementary in meaning.Sometimes there is a shorter line on a horizontal piece posted on the top.The words in the horizontal scroll are traditionally written from left to right.
The New Year Couplet is a special type of couplet used only during the Spring Festival for celebration.Before the coming of the Spring Festival，there will appear many couplet writers.These people have a good mastery of calligraphy and are also good at writing lines of good wishes.They sell ready-made couplets or compose according to customers’requirements.
New Year couplets are usually written in black or gold ink on red paper.Red is the lucky color for the Chinese.It is said that the red color can frighten off the monster called nian who arrives during the Spring Festival to destroy crops and homes.The New Year couplets are usually posted outside the main door，while some people prefer posting couplets in other places，such as the kitchen.Most of the couplets are torn down after the Spring Festival，and some people keep them all year round to keep good luck.
