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1、CalligraphyCalligraphyisunderstoodinChinaastheartofwritingagoodhandwiththebrushorthestudyoftherulesandtechniquesofthisart.AssuchitispeculiartoChinaandthefewcountriesinfluencedbyancientChineseculture.InthehistoryofChineseart,calligraphyhasalwaysbeenheldinequalimportancetopainting.Greatattentionisalso
2、paidtodaytoitsdevelopmentbyholdingexhibitionsofancientandcontemporaryworksandbyorganizingcompetitionsamongyoungstersandpeoplefromvariouswalksoflife.SharingofexperienceinthisfieldoftenmakesafeatureinSino-Japaneseculturalexchange.Chinesecalligraphy,likethescriptitself,beganwiththehieroglyphsand,overth
3、elongagesofevolution,hasdevelopedvariousstylesandschools,constitutinganimportantpartoftheheritageofnationalculture.ClassificationChinesescriptsaregenerallydividedintofivecategories:Thesealcharacter(zhuan),theofficialorclericalscript(li),theregularscript(kai),therunninghand(xing)andthecursivehand(cao
4、).1) Thezhuanscriptorsealcharacterwastheearliestformofwritingaftertheoracleinscriptions,whichmusthavecausedgreatinconveniencebecausetheylackeduniformityandmanycharacterswerewritteninvariantforms.Thefirsteffortfortheunificationofwriting,itissaid,tookplaceduringthereignofKingXuan(827-782B.C.)oftheWest
5、ernZhouDynasty,whenhistaishi(grandhistorian)ShiZhoucompiledalexiconof15chapters,standardizingChinesewritingunderscriptcalledzhuan.Itisalsoknownaszhouwenafterthenameoftheauthor.Thisscript,oftenusedinseals,istranslatedintoEnglishasthesealcharacter,orasthecurlyscriptaftertheshapeofitsstrokes.ShiZhousle
6、xicon(whichsomethoughtwaswrittenbyalaterauthorofthestateofQin)hadlongbeenlost,yetitisgenerallyagreedthattheinscriptionsonthedrum-shapedQinstoneblockswerebasicallyofthesamestyleastheoldzhuanscript.When,in221B.C.,EmperorQinShiHuangunifiedthewholeofChinaunderonecentralgovernment,heorderedhisPrimeMinist
7、erLiSitocollectandsortoutallthedifferentsystemsofwritinghithertoprevalentindifferentpartsofthecountryinagreatefforttounifythewrittenlanguageunderonesystem.WhatLidid,ineffect,wastosimplifytheancientzhuan(smallseal)script.TodaywehaveamostvaluablerelicofthisancientwritinginthecreatorLiSisownhandengrave
8、donastelestandingintheTempletotheGodofTaishanMountaininShandongProvince.The2,200-year-oldstele,wornbyageandweather,hasonlynineandahalfcharactersleftonit.2) Thelishu(officialscript)cameinthewakeofthexiaozhuaninthesameshort-livedQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).Thiswasbecausethexiaozhuan,thoughasimplifiedformo
9、fscript,wasstilltoocomplicatedforthescribesinthevariousgovernmentofficeswhohadtocopyanincreasingamountofdocuments.ChengMiao,aprisonwarden,madeafurthersimplificationofthexiaozhuan,changingthecurlystrokesintostraightandangularonesandthusmakingwritingmucheasier.Afurtherstepawayfromthepictographs,itwasn
10、amedlishubecauseliinclassicalChinesemeantclerkorscribe.AnotherversionsaysthatChengMiao,becauseofcertainoffence,becameaprisonerandslavehimself;astheancientsalsocalledboundslavesli,sothescriptwasnamedlishuorthescriptofaslave.3) Thelishuwasalreadyverycloseto,andledtotheadoptionof,kaishu,regularscript.T
11、heoldestexistingexampleofthisdatesfromtheWei(220-265),andthescriptdevelopedundertheJin(265-420).Thestandardwritingtodayissquareinform,non-cursiveandarchitecturalinstyle.Thecharactersarecomposedofanumberofstrokesoutofatotalofeightkinds-thedot,thehorizontal,thevertical,thehook,therising,theleft-fallin
12、g(shortandlong)andtheright-fallingstrokes.Anyaspirantforthestatusofcalligraphermuststartbylearningtowriteagoodhandinkaishu.4) Onthebasisoflishualsoevolvedcaoshu(grasswritingorcursivehand),whichisrapidandusedformakingquickbutroughcopies.Thisstyleissubdividedintotwoschools:zhangcaoandjincao.Thefirstof
13、theseemergedatthetimetheQinwasreplacedbytheHanDynastybetweenthe3rdand2ndcenturiesB.C.Thecharacters,thoughwrittenrapidly,stillstandseparateonefromanotherandthedotsarenotlinkedupwithotherstrokes.JincaoorthemoderncursivehandissaidtohavebeendevelopedbyZhangZhi(?-c.192A.D.)oftheEasternHanDynasty,flourish
14、edintheJinandTangdynastiesandisstillwidelypopulartoday.Itistheessenceofthecaoshu,especiallyjincao,thatthecharactersareexecutedswiftlywiththestrokesrunningtogether.Thecharactersareoftenjoinedup,withthelaststrokeofthefirstmergingintotheinitialstrokeofthenext.Theyalsovaryinsizeinthesamepieceofwriting,a
15、llseeminglydictatedbythewhimsofthewriter.AgreatmasteratcaoshuwasZhangXu(early8thcentury)oftheTangDynasty,notedforthecompleteabandonwithwhichheappliedthebrush.Itissaidthathewouldnotsetaboutwritinguntilhehadgotdrunk.Thishedid,allowingthebrushtogallopacrossthepaper,curling,twistingormeanderinginoneunbr
16、okenstroke,thuscreatinganoriginalstyle.Todayonemaystillseefragmentsofastelecarvedwithcharactersinhishandwriting,keptintheProvincialMuseumofShaanxi.Thebestexampleandmodelforxingshu,allChinesecalligrapherswillagree,istheInscriptiononLantingPavilioninthehandofWangXizhi(321-379)oftheEasternJinDynasty.TolearntowriteanicehandinChinesecalligraphy,assiduousandperseveringpracticeisnecessary.ThishasbeenborneoutbythemanygreatmastersChinahasproduced.Wang
