Glimpse of China via calligraphy
CHINESE calligraphy, a form of ink brush writing originating from China, is a beautiful branch of art that provides a window to the country’s rich and illustrious past.
With a history spanning more than 3,000 years, this form of writing has been revered as an important aspect of Chinese civilisation and even treated as national treasure.
Chinese calligraphy was first noticed as inscriptions on steles during the Shang Dynasty (1766-1122BC). Since then, it has evolved into a fine art form involving an expression of the writer’s strength and character.
The wielding of the brush reveals the writer’s inner self: thinking, emotion, elegance, impulsiveness, restraint and rebelliousness. It is more than a form of “art” where works are appreciated more for aesthetic qualities.
Chinese calligraphy owes its important status to the imperial palace of China.
During ancient times, Chinese calligraphy was appreciated with passion. Masterpieces of calligraphy were collected by imperial households and nobles. Many emperors were distinguished calligraphers in their own right, including Emperor Huizong (960-1279) of Song Dysnasty, Emperor Qianlong (1700-1799) of the Qing Dynasty.
But like other arts and culture, calligraphy flourished during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) – the golden age of Chinese civilisation.
The Tang government set up academies for studying calligraphy and used it in selecting talents. The Tang society, from the emperors to ordinary people, loved calligraphy. This was helped by the emergence of many famous poets such as Li Bai and Tu Fu.
Emperor Tang Tai Zong of the early Tang period loved Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy so much that he bought his works from the populace. This led to the study of Wang’s styles by calligraphers past and present.
In modern China, the leader of the nationalist movement Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), as well as the founder and chairman of the Communist Party of China Mao Zedong (1893-1976) were acclaimed calligraphers.
In fact, Mao’s writings were appraised as “handsome like a flying dragon; elegant while bold, pretty while vigorous”. Experts said his writing not only projected his prowess in political thinking but also military strategies.
The current leaders of China have continued to lend their support to Chinese calligraphy.
Calligraphy was featured prominently in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
Visiting foreign leaders often receive souvenirs in the form of Chinese calligraphy. President Xi Jinping presented South Korean President Park Geun-hye on her first visit to China in June 2013 with a porcelain enamel jar and a calligraphic work bearing the Tang Dynasty poem At Heron Lodge, containing the sentence, “Ascend another storey to see a thousand miles”.
Chinese calligraphy has also spread to other countries in the region. It is widely revered in Japan, Korea and some Asean countries.
A good piece of calligraphy depends on the mastery of the strokes. A speedy stroke with the right amount of pressure exerted on the writing can spring a word to life.
There are now five forms of writing in Chinese calligraphy:
1) The earliest writing took the form of pictograms and ideographs incised onto the surfaces of jades and oracle bones.
2) The Lishu style (clerical script), used by government clerks, was authorised by Emperor Shih Huangti.
3) The Kaishu style or traditional regular script is still widely in use today. 4) The semi-cursive style or running script. 5) Caoshu (cursive or grass script) is less constrained and can be written faster. It is normally not legible to the laymen.