CalligraphyCalligraphyisunderstoodinChinaastheartofwritingagoodhandwiththebrushorthestudyoftherulesandtechniquesofthisart.AssuchitispeculiartoChinaandthefewcountriesinfluencedbyancientChineseculture.InthehistoryofChineseart,calligraphyhasalwaysbeenheldinequalimportancetopainting.Greatattentionisalsopaidtodaytoitsdevelopmentbyholdingexhibitionsofancientandcontemporaryworksandbyorganizingcompetitionsamongyoungstersandpeoplefromvariouswalksoflife.SharingofexperienceinthisfieldoftenmakesafeatureinSino-Japaneseculturalexchange.Chinesecalligraphy,likethescriptitself,beganwiththehieroglyphsand,overthelongagesofevolution,hasdevelopedvariousstylesandschools,constitutinganimportantpartoftheheritageofnationalculture.ClassificationChinesescriptsaregenerallydividedintofivecategories:Thesealcharacter(zhuan),theofficialorclericalscript(li),theregularscript(kai),therunninghand(xing)andthecursivehand(cao).1)Thezhuanscriptorsealcharacterwastheearliestformofwritingaftertheoracleinscriptions,whichmusthavecausedgreatinconveniencebecausetheylackeduniformityandmanycharacterswerewritteninvariantforms.Thefirsteffortfortheunificationofwriting,itissaid,tookplaceduringthereignofKingXuan(827-782B.C.)oftheWesternZhouDynasty,whenhistaishi(grandhistorian)ShiZhoucompiledalexiconof15chapters,standardizingChinesewritingunderscriptcalledzhuan.Itisalsoknownaszhouwenafterthenameoftheauthor.Thisscript,oftenusedinseals,istranslatedintoEnglishasthesealcharacter,orasthe"curlyscript"aftertheshapeofitsstrokes.ShiZhou'slexicon(whichsomethoughtwaswrittenbyalaterauthorofthestateofQin)hadlongbeenlost,yetitisgenerallyagreedthattheinscriptionsonthedrum-shapedQinstoneblockswerebasicallyofthesamestyleastheoldzhuanscript.When,in221B.C.,EmperorQinShiHuangunifiedthewholeofChinaunderonecentralgovernment,heorderedhisPrimeMinisterLiSitocollectandsortoutallthedifferentsystemsofwritinghithertoprevalentindifferentpartsofthecountryinagreatefforttounifythewrittenlanguageunderonesystem.WhatLidid,ineffect,wastosimplifytheancientzhuan(smallseal)script.TodaywehaveamostvaluablerelicofthisancientwritinginthecreatorLiSi'sownhandengravedonastelestandingintheTempletotheGodofTaishanMountaininShandongProvince.The2,200-year-oldstele,wornbyageandweather,hasonlynineandahalfcharactersleftonit.2)Thelishu(officialscript)cameinthewakeofthexiaozhuaninthesameshort-livedQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).Thiswasbecausethexiaozhuan,thoughasimplifiedformofscript,wasstilltoocomplicatedforthescribesinthevariousgovernmentofficeswhohadtocopyanincreasingamountofdocuments.ChengMiao,aprisonwarden,madeafurthersimplificationofthexiaozhuan,changingthecurlystrokesintostraightandangularonesandthusmakingwritingmucheasier.Afurtherstepawayfromthepictographs,itwasnamedlishubecauseliinclassicalChinesemeant"clerk"or"scribe".AnotherversionsaysthatChengMiao,becauseofcertainoffence,becameaprisonerandslavehimself;astheancientsalsocalledboundslaves"li",sothescriptwasnamedlishuorthe"scriptofaslave".3)Thelishuwasalreadyverycloseto,andledtotheadoptionof,kaishu,regularscript.TheoldestexistingexampleofthisdatesfromtheWei(220-265),andthescriptdevelopedundertheJin(265-420).Thestandardwritingtodayissquareinform,non-cursiveandarchitecturalinstyle.Thecharactersarecomposedofanumberofstrokesoutofatotalofeightkinds-thedot,thehorizontal,thevertical,thehook,therising,theleft-falling(shortandlong)andthe...
