Chinese Writing/Calligraphy
Being one of the world's oldest continuously used and active writing systems, Chinese characters can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC). Over thousands of years, the writing of Chinese characters has been evolved into a highly regarded art form, which is often called Chinese calligraphy.
Calligraphy is considered as a treasured artistic form of Chinese culture. It is not merely a practical technique for writing Chinese characters or a tool for written communication, but also, more importantly, a unique expression of the spiritual world of the calligrapher.
Calligraphy conveys the emotions, esthetic feelings, moral integrity and character of the calligrapher. Appreciators of calligraphy can even tell the character, temper or the change of the calligrapher’s social situation by appreciating his/her work.
The ink stick, ink stone, writing brush and paper are the four essential implements of calligraphy. They are known together as the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四宝, wen fang si bao in Chinese pinyin). These four "tools" have been employed by artists throughout China’s history, from ancient to modern times. Seals are stylized carvings of the artist's name, and it is customary for an artist to use both his/her signature and personal seal on finished paintings, poetry, calligraphy, documents and letters.
Categories
Chinese traditional calligraphy mainly falls into 6 categories: Seal Characters, Official Script, Formal Script, Running Script, Formal Script, Running Script, and Cursive Hand.
Seal Characters 篆书 (zhuan shu)
It can be divided into Big Seal Characters and Small Seal Characters. The former appeared in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC) and evolved from oracle bone inscriptions. The neat structure of oracle bone inscriptions laid the foundation for the form of modern Chinese characters. The latter is more simple in form and more standardized in structure than the former. Small Seal Characters, known as Qin Seal Characters, were collected, compiled and prescribed by Li Si after the unification of China by the Qin Empire. Seal Characters are very elegant in style and are widely favored by people today in the creation of calligraphy works.
Official Script 隶书 (li shu)
It originated from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). The rise of official script is another reform in Chinese characters, ushering in a new stage of the development of Chinese calligraphy. In fact, it is a transition period in the history of Chinese character development, laying a solid foundation for formal script. Official script features a flat, neat and refined structure. When the Eastern Han Dynasty began, the left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke bent upwards. Other strokes were characterized by variations considered beautiful in calligraphy. The style of official script features diversification and it has high value for study.
Formal Script 楷书 (kai shu)
It is also known as Zhengshu Script, and evolved from seal characters. It is simpler in structure and square in shape. To be specific, it is more standardized horizontally and vertically. The integral feature of formal script is neatness and orderliness, for which reason it is widely used and favored today.
Running Script 行书 (xing shu)
It is the cursive form of formal script. When carefully written with distinguishable strokes, running script characters look more like formal script, while when swiftly written, they look more like cursive hand. It was created during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). In general, it is convenient and highly practical for writing.
Cursive Hand 草书 (cao shu)
Cursive hand is characterized by simplified and sketchy forms of characters. It was formed around the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-8 AD) and became prevalent in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). It has concise structures with borrowed components. Although it looks irregular, cursive hand has high artistic value beyond its practical worthiness.
Chinese Calligraphy Experiences
- By joining our Beijing Tours, Xi’an Tours or Guilin Tours, visitors can add Chinese calligraphy classes to the itinerary at very favorable prices.
- Most comprehensive museums in China have calligraphy collections. See our Museums Tours.
- For travelers who are interested in the history, evolution and cultural relics of Chinese calligraphy, Museum of Chinese Characters in Anyang City, Henan Province is a good choice. The Stele Forest Museum in Xi’an City houses many works of noted ancient calligraphers as well as precious stone sculptures.
- Contact us for a tailor-made tour.
FAQs About Learning Chinese
- How many people use Chinese?
Chinese is used by approximately 1.3 billion people around the world, that is almost one sixth of the world’s population. - Is it difficult to learn Chinese?
Learning Chinese, like learning any other foreign languages, always poses a challenge for non-native speakers. It is important to practice on a regular basis, ideally spend some time on it every day or every week. - How many Chinese characters do I need to know?
Mastering 3000-4000 frequently used characters is enough to cover daily conversations and readings.
