Introduction to China's Traditional Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a unique traditional art in China. Chinese characters in China were created by working people and began to be recorded by pictures. After thousands of years of development, it has evolved into today's writing. Because our ancestors invented the brush, calligraphy came into being. Throughout the ages, Chinese characters were mainly written with a brush. As for other writing forms, such as hard pen and finger book, their writing rules are not completely different from those of brush, but they are basically the same. Based on tracing the source (after Oracle bone inscriptions), this paper focuses on the law of writing Chinese characters with a brush. As long as we have a "narrow" understanding of calligraphy, it will be of great benefit to understand "broad" calligraphy.

Calligraphy in a narrow sense refers to the methods and laws of writing Chinese characters with a brush. Including writing, calligraphy, stippling, structure, layout (distribution, lines, composition) and so on. For example, the pen refers to the palm and the five fingers are Qi Li; The pen carrying center is unfolded; Stippling is the same as a pen; The structure is shaped by words and echoes each other; The distribution is intricate, the density is appropriate, and the virtual and the real are born together, and the whole chapter is full of gas fields; Every word is ancient for literacy, and every word is big and small, and high is not as good as low.

Calligraphy in a broad sense refers to the writing rules of language symbols. In other words, calligraphy refers to writing with its brushwork, structure and composition according to the characteristics and significance of words, making it a beautiful work of art. With the development of cultural undertakings, calligraphy is not limited to using brush and writing Chinese characters, but its connotation has greatly increased. For example, in terms of using tools, there are many kinds of pens alone, such as writing brushes, hard pens, computer instruments, and spray gun branding tools. Pigments are not only black ink blocks, but also colored inks, adhesives, chemicals, paint glazes and so on. In the past, Four Treasures of the Study-pen, ink, paper, inkstone, its meaning has also been greatly expanded, and there are many varieties, too numerous to mention; From the way of writing, some people write with their hands, others with their feet, and many people write with other organs. Some people don't even use pens at all, such as "pointing at books" and "squeezing books". In terms of writing style, it is not a kind of Chinese characters, and some minority languages have also entered the calligraphy art world, and Mongolian is an example; Judging from the style and composition, in addition to the authentic traditional calligraphy school, there is also an intentional school in China, called modern calligraphy. Innovating on the basis of traditional calligraphy, highlighting the word "change", integrating poetry, calligraphy and painting, striving for the unity of form and content, and making the work a masterpiece of "beauty in meaning, beauty in sound and beauty in form". In Japan, many calligraphers abandoned the language of writing and established the "image" of writing, and the school of "ink image" came into being to write various writing images with the weight of the pen, the opening and closing of Ji Xu and the nib, and the change of writing posture. Although this school of calligraphy emphasizes "image" and its writing is novel, not all Chinese characters are "image", so its development is limited. All these (of course, not only these) can be seen that calligraphy, like other things, is constantly developing and changing. This point must be highly valued by people in the calligraphy field.

The origin of calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese characters. It is not only the cultural treasure of the Chinese nation, but also unique in the treasure house of world culture and art. In the long historical evolution and development, on the one hand, Chinese characters play an important social role in the exchange of ideas and cultural heritage, on the other hand, they also form a unique plastic arts. According to modern textual research, regarding the origin of China characters, it is generally believed that characters were created in the "Yangshao Culture Period" in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China about five or six thousand years ago. Yangshao culture was named after it was first discovered in Yangshao Village, Shengshan, Henan Province in 192 1. In the past 40 years, there have been many discoveries.

There are three kinds of characters of all nationalities in the world, namely ideographic characters; Ideographic characters; Recording. Chinese characters are typical ideographs developed on the basis of ideographs. The method of pictographic writing is to draw the real thing. While painting tends to be more simplified and abstract, becoming a symbol that highlights the physical characteristics, representing a certain meaning and having a certain pronunciation ... Our Chinese characters have gradually taken shape, from pictures and symbols to creation and stereotypes, from ancient China seal script to small seal script, from seal script to official script, regular script and cursive script. In the process of writing and application of Chinese characters, the unique and independent calligraphy art of all nationalities in the world has gradually emerged.

Prehistoric Zhixia Calligraphy with Chaos Enlightenment

China's calligraphy art began in the generation stage of Chinese characters. "Voice can't spread in different places, but stay in different times, so words were born. Writer, so it is the trace of Italian sound. " As a result, words came into being. The earliest works of calligraphy art are not words, but some descriptive symbols-hieroglyphics or picture words.

Symbols depicting Chinese characters first appeared on pottery. The primitive depiction symbol only represents a rough concept of chaos and has no exact meaning.

More than 8,000 years ago, magnetic mountain culture, Fiji and Khan Lee cultures appeared in the Yellow River Basin. There are many symbols on the handmade ceramics unearthed in Fiji and Khan Lee, which are the chaotic combination of the communication function, note-taking function and pattern decoration function of the ancestors. Although these are not real Chinese characters, they are indeed the embryonic forms of Chinese characters.

Immediately after the Banpo site of Yangshao culture about 6000 years ago, some painted pottery with similar characters were unearthed. These symbols are distinguished from patterns, which promotes the development of Chinese characters. This can be said to be the origin of China characters.

Then Erlitou culture and Erligang culture. In the archaeological excavation of Erlitou culture, there are 24 kinds of marked pottery pieces, some of which are similar to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins, and all of them are single independent characters. Erligang culture was found to have a writing system. Three bones with words were found here, two with words and a cross, which seemed to be carved for practicing lettering. This has made civilization take another big step forward.

The origin of primitive characters is an imitation instinct, which is used to visualize a specific thing. Although it is simple and chaotic, it already has a certain aesthetic taste. This simple writing can therefore be called prehistoric calligraphy.

From Shang Dynasty to Western Han Dynasty —— The context of calligraphy

From the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, through the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the historical development of more than 2,000 years also promoted the development of calligraphy art. During this period, various calligraphy styles appeared one after another, including the handwriting of Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, stone carvings, bamboo slips and Zhu Mo. Among them, the fonts such as seal script, official script, cursive script and regular script were stereotyped in the screening and elimination of hundreds of miscellaneous characters, and the calligraphy art began to develop in an orderly manner.

Brief introduction of various calligraphy styles

1: Oracle Bone Inscriptions

Ancient Chinese characters are the names of characters and the oldest existing characters in China. Carved on the Oracle Bone Inscriptions, it was first used in Oracle Bone Inscriptions (Yin people used tortoise shells and animal bones for divination. After divination, the period of divination, the name of the diviner and the things of divination are all engraved with a knife next to divination, and some even engraved with good or bad luck that has been fulfilled a few days later. Scholars call this kind of record Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which is a divination of the future outcome, and it was more popular in the Yin and Shang Dynasties. Oracle Bone Inscriptions was discovered in 1889, which is a record of royal divination in the late Shang Dynasty. It was discovered more than 3000 years ago in Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan Province. Oracle Bone Inscriptions is the first treasure in the history of China's calligraphy. His brushwork has changed in thickness, lightness and quickness. His brushwork is light and urgent, thick and heavy, quick and energetic, and has a certain sense of rhythm. Fiona Fang is full of turning points, steep in square and soft in round. Its lines are more harmonious and fluent than those of Wen Tao, which lays the foundation and rhythm for the unique line art of China's calligraphy. Oracle Bone Inscriptions was tied into a rectangle, which laid the foundation of Chinese font. Oracle Bone Inscriptions's knot is shaped with the body, so let it be. Its composition varies in size, and Fiona Fang is diverse, long and flat, scattered and harmonious. The writing principles of Chinese characters have been generally established in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, such as rugged, evasive, bow-echoing, unstoppable and so on.

2. Jinwen

A literal name in ancient Chinese characters. Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States. It flourished in the Zhou Dynasty. This is another monument in the history of calligraphy in China. The tripod attached to the bronze ware is intended to "make people know God's treachery", so it is a ritual vessel for religious sacrifice. Bronze inscriptions are also called Zhong Dingwen, Wen Qi and ancient prose. Compared with Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the inscriptions cast together with bronzes have stronger lines and are more pictographic. The earliest inscriptions are found on bronzes unearthed in the middle of Shang Dynasty. Although there are not many materials, they are all earlier than Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins. The Zhou Dynasty was the golden age of bronze inscriptions, with the most unearthed inscriptions.

The main works of this period are: Li Chan, Tian Wuchan, Yu Ding, Pan Bi, Pan and Muyin Baizipan. Among them, Simu Wuding, Pan and Mao are the most famous and have the highest artistic achievements.

3. Stone carving

Stone carvings originated in the Zhou Dynasty and flourished in the Qin Dynasty. Stone inscriptions in the Eastern Zhou and Qin Dynasties. On the 10 granite drum stone, there is a four-character poem, which praises Qin's hunting, so it is also called hunting. Legend has it that the earliest stone carving is Shen Bei in Xia Dynasty, and the style of carving poems is similar to the Book of Songs. The font is close to the calligraphy contained in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, and its calligraphy has always been highly respected. The main works are: Shi Guwen, Yishan stone carving, Taishan stone carving, Langya stone carving and Huiji stone carving.

4. Bamboo ink

Calligraphy is the most important art, but the original calligraphy before Qin and Han dynasties can only be seen in Jian and Bo Meng's books. In ancient times, bamboo was used as the main material, and bamboo slips were woven with beef tendon, silk thread and hemp rope. The earliest archaeological discoveries of bamboo slips and silk ink include Qin slips unearthed in Yunmeng, Hubei Province, the book of the Warring States League unearthed in Houma, Shanxi Province (the book of the League was written on a stone policy or a jade policy), and the silk book of the Warring States Period unearthed in Mawangdui, Changsha. China's calligraphy experienced Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Due to the warlord regime, the figures since Shang Dynasty embarked on different development paths in the vassal states. During this period, the forms and techniques of calligraphy also presented a situation in which a hundred schools of thought contended. For example, the Tadpole Prose of the Northern State of Jin and the Bird Book of Wu, Yue, Chu and Cai have many twists and turns and long tails. Bronze inscriptions in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are not as thick as those in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but have been replaced by slender figures, showing a mellow aesthetic feeling, such as "a mirror of Fu Cha, the king of Wu". This period left many ink marks, such as bamboo slips, silk books and league books.

Calligraphy in Qin dynasty was the first of its kind.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were great differences in languages among countries, which was a major obstacle to economic and cultural development. After Qin Shihuang unified the whole country, Minister Li Si presided over the unification of the national characters, which was a great achievement in the cultural history of China. After the unification of Qin Dynasty, this script was called Qin Zhuan, also known as Xiao Zhuan, which was simplified on the basis of Jin Wen and Shi Guwen. Li Si, a famous calligrapher, presided over the compilation of Xiao Zhuan. Li Si wrote the stone carvings of Mount Li, Mount Tai, Langya and Huiji. All previous dynasties have a very high evaluation. Qin is a period of change of inheritance and innovation. The preface to Shuo Wen Jie Zi says: "Shu Qin has eight styles, namely, big seal, small seal, seal cutting, insect book, copy, official book and official book." It basically summarizes the face of the font at this time. Li's seal script was harsh and inconvenient to write, so official script appeared. Official script is a victory of seal script. Its purpose is to facilitate writing. During the Western Han Dynasty, official script changed from seal script to official script, and its structure changed from vertical to horizontal, with more obvious lines and waves. The appearance of official script is a great progress of China characters and a revolution in the history of calligraphy, which not only makes Chinese characters tend to be square, but also breaks through a single center in brushwork, laying the foundation for various calligraphy schools in the future. In addition to the above calligraphy masterpieces, there are also handwriting such as imperial edict, weight, tile and coin. In the Qin dynasty, the style was very different. Calligraphy in Qin Dynasty left a brilliant page in the history of calligraphy in China, which is a pioneering work.

Seeking Degree and Rhyme —— From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties

Calligraphy in Han dynasty

Calligraphy in Han Dynasty can be divided into two forms: one is the mainstream system of stone carvings in China; One is tile seal, and the other is bamboo and silk alliance calligraphy and ink. The Monument to Yun Qi in the Later Han Dynasty is a symbol of Han Li's maturity. Among the cliff stone carvings (words carved on cliffs), Ode to Shimen is the most famous, and calligraphers regard it as a "masterpiece". At the same time, Cai Shark's "Jia Jing" reached the requirements of restoring ancient ways to Li and opening a tire. Inscription is the most important art form reflecting the times and phonology, among which Feng Longshan, The Story of the Western Chamber, Kong Zhou, Yi Ying, Chen Shi, Zhang Qian and Cao Quan are especially admired and imitated by later generations. It can be said that each monument is unique and has no similarities. The northern book is magnificent, while the southern book is simple, which embodies the different aesthetic pursuits of the "scholar" and "vulgar" classes. As for the tile seal and the simple silk script, it embodies the combination of artistry and practicality.

The prosperity of calligraphy art began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Calligraphy theory's works appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the earliest calligraphy theory author was Yang Xiong at the turn of the Han Dynasty. The first calligraphy theory monograph was a cursive script written by Cui Yuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Calligraphers in the Han Dynasty can be divided into two categories: one is calligraphers in the Han Dynasty, represented by Cai Yong. First, cursive writers, represented by Du Du, Cui Yuan and Zhang Zhi, were later called "Cao Sheng".

Bamboo slips calligraphy can best represent the characteristics of calligraphy in Han Dynasty. There are many inscriptions in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The inscriptions in this period were carved by Han Li, with square fonts, strict statutes and clear waves. At this time, the official script has reached its peak.

The creation and birth of cursive script in Han dynasty is of great significance in the history of calligraphy art, which indicates that calligraphy has begun to become an art that can express emotions and express calligraphers' personality with high freedom. The primary stage of cursive script is cursive script. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, cursive script developed further and formed Cao Zhang. Later, Zhang Zhi founded modern calligraphy, namely cursive script.

Calligraphy art in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

1: Three Kingdoms Period

During the Three Kingdoms period, official script began to decline from the peak position of Han Dynasty, and evolved into regular script, which became another theme of calligraphy art. Regular script, also known as official script and original work, was created by Zhong You. Regular script entered the history of stone carving in the Three Kingdoms period. The Three Kingdoms (Wei) Period's "Recommended Season Straight Table". "Declaration Form" and so on have become the treasures of several generations.

2. Jin Dynasty

In the Jin Dynasty, elegance and quality were advocated in life, and the beauty of moderation and simplicity was pursued in art. Calligraphers came forth in large numbers, and bamboo slips were the two kings (Wang Xizhi. Wang Xianzhi) Yan Fang's exquisite artistic taste caters to the requirements of literati, and people increasingly realize that writing has aesthetic value. Wang Xizhi, the most representative of the spirit of Wei and Jin Dynasties, is the most influential calligrapher in the history of calligraphy and is known as the "sage of calligraphy". Wang Xizhi's running script "Preface to Lanting" is known as "the best running script in the world", and critics say that his writing style is like a cloud and agile as a dragon. His son's "Ode to Luo Shen" is magnificent, creating a "broken style" and "a book", which is a great contribution in the history of calligraphy. Driven by Lu Ji, Wei and Jin Dynasties, Suo Jing, Wang Dao, Xie An, Liang Jian and other calligraphy families, Nanzong calligraphy flourished. Yang Xin, Qi, Xiao Ziyun and Chen of Liang in the Southern Song Dynasty were all his followers.

At the peak of calligraphy in Jin Dynasty, it was mainly manifested in running script, which was a font between cursive script and regular script. His representative works "Three Wishes", namely "Yuan Bo Tie", "Sunny Tie in Fast Snow" and "Mid-Autumn Festival Tie".

3. Southern and Northern Dynasties

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, China's calligraphy art entered the era of "Bei Bei Nan Tie".

The Northern Wei Dynasty and the Eastern Wei Dynasty are the best calligraphers in the Northern Dynasties, and their styles are also colorful. Representative works include Zhang Menglong Monument and Shi Jing Jun Monument. The representative works in the inscription are: thousands of words are really grass. The Northern Dynasties praised their ancestors and revealed their family business, and carved many stones, such as the north monument and the south post, the north opening to the south, the north people and the south soil, and the north glory and the south show.

For example, the representative work of the North-South School is Heming written by Nan Liang. The "Zheng Wengong Monument" in the Northern Wei Dynasty can be described as a binary star between the North and the South. Most northern writers are Shu Ren, and this book is anonymous. Therefore, calligraphy is called "the sage in the book", and the northern writer is Wang Youjun.

Seeking rules-Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties

calligraphy from the sui dynasty

The Sui Dynasty ended the chaos in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and unified China. Later, Tang Dou was a relatively stable period. The development of the South Railway North Monument went hand in hand with the Sui Dynasty, and the form of regular script was officially completed, occupying a position of connecting the past with the future in the history of books. Sui Kai inherited the evolution of Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. A new standardization bureau was established in the Tang Dynasty. There are inscriptions in the Sui Dynasty, mostly authentic, which are divided into four styles:

1: the Qifa Temple Monument of Pinghe Ruding Daohu, etc.

2. Strict and strict prescriptions such as Dong's Epitaph.

3. Deep-seated strength, such as' Thaksin Zen Master Taming' and so on.

4. Xiulang is as exquisite as the "Longzang Temple Monument".

The heyday of calligraphy in Tang Dynasty

1: A Brief Introduction to Calligraphy in Tang Dynasty

The culture of the Tang Dynasty was profound and brilliant, reaching the peak of China's feudal culture, which can be described as "books flourished in the early Tang Dynasty". There were more ink marks in the Tang Dynasty than in the previous generation, and a large number of inscriptions left precious calligraphy works. The calligraphy of the whole Tang Dynasty is the inheritance and innovation of the previous generation. Regular script, running script and cursive script all entered a new situation in the Tang Dynasty, with outstanding characteristics of the times, and their influence on later generations far exceeded that of any previous era.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the national strength was strong, and calligraphy took off from the legacy of the Six Dynasties. Everyone took Ou Yangxun as a regular script. Yu Shinan Chu Suiliang, Xue Ji and Ouyang Tong are the mainstream of calligraphy. The general feature is that the structure is rigorous and tidy, so there is a saying that "the Tang Dynasty is heavy", which was once honored as "the crown of calligraphy" and extended to the Tang Dynasty. Combining Confucianism and Taoism, Li Yong changed the right army to be unique. Zhang Xu and Huai Su pushed the cursive performance to the extreme with their drunkenness, while Sun Caoshu was good at being elegant, so he also focused on creating reality. Yan Zhenqing, on the other hand, absorbed the ancient law from the new ideas and bred new methods from the old ones. Dong Qichang said that Duke Lu made great preparations for learning from books in the Tang Dynasty. Late Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, the national situation declined, Shen Chuanshi. Liu Gongquan changed the model law again. Expose your thinness and strength. It further enriched the method, and in the Five Dynasties, it used Yan and Liu at the same time. When the two kings acceded to the throne, the flanks took a stance and made great efforts. So when they left the troubled times, it was Rao Chengping's only image and the light of Tang books. On the occasion of the Five Dynasties, crazy Zen became popular, which also affected the calligraphy circle. "Crazy Zen Calligraphy" did not show a large scale in the Five Dynasties, but it had a great influence on calligraphy in the Song Dynasty.

The art of calligraphy in Tang Dynasty can be divided into three periods: early Tang, middle Tang and late Tang. In the early Tang Dynasty, inheritance was the mainstay, statutes were respected, and the beauty of gold calligraphy was deliberately pursued. In the middle Tang Dynasty, innovation continued and it was extremely prosperous. Calligraphy also improved in the late Tang Dynasty.

There were six kinds of institutions of higher learning in the Tang Dynasty, namely imperial academy, Imperial College, Four Schools, Law, Calligraphy and Mathematics. Among them, it is a pioneering work in the Tang Dynasty to train calligraphers and calligraphers. Famous artists come forth in large numbers, Starlight Glimmer. Such as Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang in the early Tang Dynasty; Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan were both great calligraphers in the middle Tang Dynasty. In the late Tang Dynasty, there were Wang Wenbing's seal script, Li E's regular script and Yang Ningshi's "Two Kings Yan Liu" aftertaste.

Calligraphy in Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties can be divided into three stages.

(1) Sui to early Tang Dynasty

Sui unified China and accepted the culture and art of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, politics flourished, and calligraphy gradually emerged from the legacy of the Six Dynasties and took on a new attitude. In the early Tang Dynasty, regular script was the mainstream, and its overall feature was strict and orderly structure.

(2): Mid-Tang Dynasty.

Calligraphy in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, like the social form at that time, pursued a romantic way of getting carried away. Such as "Zhang Dian Drunk" (Zhang Xu, Huai Su), Li Yong's running script. In the middle Tang Dynasty, regular script made a new breakthrough. Yan Zhenqing, as the representative, laid the standard of regular script, set an example and became orthodox. At this point, China's calligraphy style has been completely determined.

(3): the legacy of the Tang Dynasty in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

1907, Zhu Quanzhong, the separatist, destroyed the Tang Dynasty and established the Houliang, from which the later Tang Dynasty, the later Jin Dynasty, the later Han Dynasty and the later Zhou Dynasty were called the Five Dynasties. Due to the weakness and disorder of the country, culture and art are also declining. Although the art of calligraphy continued after the end of the Tang Dynasty, due to the influence of war and fire, it formed a general trend of decline. During the Five Dynasties, Yang Ningshi's calligraphy was praised. In the five dynasties when calligraphy declined, his calligraphy was the mainstay. There are also outstanding calligraphers, such as Li Yu and Yan Xiu. At this point, the upright and rigorous style of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty came to an end, and then the "four schools" in the Northern Song Dynasty followed suit and set off a new wave of the times.

Advocating Feelings —— From Song Dynasty to Ming Dynasty

Song's words

Calligraphy in Song Dynasty attached importance to artistic conception, which was the result of Zhu Da's advocacy of Neo-Confucianism. The connotation of artistic conception includes four points: one is philosophical, the other is bookish, the third is stylization, and the fourth is artistic expression. At the same time, it mediates the individuality and originality in calligraphy creation. These are all reflected in calligraphy. If the worship of dharma in Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties was the embodiment of seeking "writing", then in Song Dynasty, calligraphy began to appear in front of the world with a new look of respecting meaning and expressing emotion. That is to say, besides being natural and diligent, calligraphers should be knowledgeable, that is, bookish, so that northern Song Sijia can change the face of Tang Kai. Direct promotion and calligraphy heritage.

No matter Cai Xiang and Su Dongpo, who are talented and innovative, or Huang Tingjian and Mi Fei, who are looking up to the ancients, they all strive to show their calligraphy style and highlight an unconventional posture, so that the learning atmosphere is gloomy and sandy between pen and ink, giving people a new aesthetic mood, which is in Wu Jizhong of the Southern Song Dynasty. Fan Chengda, Zhu, Wen Tianxiang and other calligraphers have been further extended, but the knowledge and pen and ink skills of the Southern Song Dynasty calligraphers can no longer be compared with those of the North. Calligraphers in Song Dynasty were represented by Su, Huang, Mi and Cai.

Calligraphy art in yuan dynasty

At the beginning of Yuan Dynasty, there was little economic and cultural development, and the overall situation of calligraphy was advocating retro, patriarchal clan system in Jin and Tang Dynasties, and less innovation. Although the Yuan Dynasty was ruled by foreigners politically, it was assimilated by Chinese culture culturally, which was different from the pursuit of artistic conception in the Song Dynasty. The intention of Yuan Zaju is to pursue the beauty of openness, so Su Shi flaunts that "I can't write this book according to the intention" and Zhao Mengfu advocates that "it is not easy to use a pen through the ages". The former pursues the meaning of speed, and then emphasizes the meaning of intention. The core figure in Yuan Dynasty is Zhao Mengfu, whose regular script Zhao Ti and the European style of regular script in Tang Dynasty. Liu style, also known as four styles, became the main style of calligraphy in later generations. Because Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy thought is definitely not one step ahead of Wang's, his calligraphy has a unique understanding of the essence of Wang's calligraphy, which is manifested as "Wen Ya" and "elegant" style, which is also related to Thaksin's Buddhism. Aesthetics tends to be elegant and detached, which is related to getting a spiritual liberation. Xian Yushu and Deng Wenyuan were also famous in the Yuan Dynasty. Although their achievements are not as good as Zhao Mengfu's, they also have their own uniqueness in calligraphy style. They advocate the same method of calligraphy and painting and pay attention to the posture of writing.

Looking at the calligraphy in the Yuan Dynasty, the characteristic of the calligraphy in the Yuan Dynasty is "respecting the ancient and sticking to the post", and its great achievement is still in cursive script. As for turning profits, although there are several famous artists, they are not very good. This kind of calligraphy with lines and cursive script as the mainstream didn't change until the Qing Dynasty. There was a calligraphy style in Yuan Dynasty, which prevailed in the calligraphy research in Song Dynasty and Tang Zongjin Period. Although they have their own merits, they can't stand in the calligraphy world in the same way. Compared with literature, painting and other arts, it is far from successful.

Calligraphy art in Ming dynasty

The development of calligraphy in Ming Dynasty can be divided into three stages:

1: the first stage-early Ming dynasty

In the early Ming Dynasty, calligraphy was characterized by "one word with many images" and "Taige style" prevailed. Brother Shen helped push the stable lower case to the extreme. "Every gold edition of the jade book is used by the imperial court, hidden in the secret room, and the book is awarded to the country." Er Shen's calligraphy is regarded as a model of imperial examination. In the early Ming Dynasty, there were Liu Ji who was good at cursive script, Song Liao who was good at small seal script, Song Lian who was good at seal script, and Zhu Ke, a famous Cao Zhang master at home and abroad. And Zhu Yunming, Wen Huiming and Chong Wang.

2. The second stage-Zhong Ming

In the middle of Ming Dynasty, four schools of Wuzhong emerged, and calligraphy began to develop in the direction of business. The four sons, Zhu Yunming, Wen Zhiming, Tang Yin and Wang Chong, went to Jin and Tang Dynasties according to Zhao Mengfu's statement, taking the Supreme Law; Writing style is also peerless, which is related to the development and liberation of thought at that time, and calligraphy began to enter a new realm of advocating individuality.

3. The third stage-Late Ming Dynasty

There was a critical trend of thought in calligraphy in the late Ming Dynasty, which pursued large-scale and shocking visual effects, borrowed the momentum from the side, spread it horizontally and vertically, and covered the paper with smoke, which made the original order of calligraphy begin to collapse. Representative calligraphers are Huang Daozhou, Wang Duo and Ni. Dong Qichang, commander of Tiexue Temple, still sticks to the traditional position.

Lyricism and Advocacy —— From Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty

In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the mainstream of aesthetics was based on lyricism, pursuing individuality and advocating rationality, and orthodox classical aesthetics coexisted with new aesthetics of seeking differences. The overall tendency of calligraphy in Qing Dynasty is to emphasize quality, which is divided into two development periods: paste learning and stele learning.

The wild pen and ink in the late Ming Dynasty is wild. Cynicism was further extended in the early Qing Dynasty. For example, the works of Zhu Fushan and others still show my inner life and an elusive emotional expression. This point reappeared in the mid-term "Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics". At the same time, the post-school system in the late Ming Dynasty was further developed. While respecting the tradition, Jiang Ying, Zhang Zhao, Liu Yong, Wang Wenzhi, Liang, Weng Fanggang, etc. all tried to show a new look, either using light ink or changing the composition structure. However, due to the inheritance of the post in the senior year, there is no good cleaning, understanding and adjustment, and some accumulated disadvantages are deepening day by day, making the decline of post learning inevitable.

At this time, more and more stone carvings were unearthed, and the literati turned from their keen interest in letters to the study of stone inscriptions. For a time, the government and the people flocked to the study of steles, which eventually became a democratic trend of thought in the Qing Dynasty, together with Ruan Yuan and Bao. Kang Youwei strongly advocated that stele study existed as a calligraphy system, competing with post-study. At that time, famous calligraphers were Jin Nong, Deng, He, Zhao, Wu Changshuo, Kang Youwei and so on. One after another, they used the tablet to write and draw, and each did his best. A dazzling situation. It can be described as a landscape of China calligraphy culture. If the epitaph's desire for quality has not been realized, then this desire has been realized in the study of steles.

China's calligraphy is an ancient art, from Oracle Bone Inscriptions and inscriptions on bronze to Da Zhuan, Xiao Zhuan and Li Shu, and then to cursive script, regular script and running script in the Eastern Han Dynasty and Wei and Jin Dynasties. Calligraphy has always exuded artistic charm.

China's calligraphy has a long history, reflecting the spirit of the times with different styles, and the artistic youth is eternal. Browse the calligraphy of past dynasties, "Jin people like rhyme, Tang people like law, Song people like meaning, Yuan, Ming and Tai". Tracing back to the development of calligraphy for 3,000 years, we can clearly see that it keeps pace with the legal development of China society and strongly reflects the spiritual outlook of each era. Calligraphy art is a unique treasure in the world and a wonderful flower of Chinese culture. Calligraphy art is the most typical embodiment of the beauty of oriental art and the Excellence of oriental culture, and it is an artistic treasure that our nation will always be proud of. It has a profound mass base and artistic characteristics that no art in the world can match. The art of calligraphy is more and more favored by everyone.

The history of China's calligraphy can be divided into stages, with Yan Zhenqing in the Tang Dynasty as the dividing point, which was previously called "the evolution period of calligraphy style" and later called "the evolution period of style". In the evolution of calligraphy style, the main trend of calligraphy development is the evolution of calligraphy style, and the display of calligrapher's artistic style is often linked with calligraphy style. When the style changes, there is no need to create a new font. So calligraphers put forward the idea of "respecting meaning", and "style of writing" was fixed, while "meaning" was alive, which further strengthened the author's main role.