Chinese Writing and Calligraphy

Chapter One: Introduction

1 chapter one introduction Chinese calligraphy, 書法 shū fǎ in Chinese, has been considered the quintessence of Chinese culture because it is an art that encompasses Chinese language, history, philosophy, and aesthetics. The term’s literal translation, “the way of writing” (shū, “writing,” and fǎ, “way” or “standard”), identifies the core of the art, which has close bonds with Chinese written signs, on the one hand, and painting, on the other. In China, adeptness in brush calligraphy is among the four traditional skills that cultivate the minds of the literati, along with the ability to play qín (a stringed musical instrument), skill at qí (a strategic board game known as “go” in the West), and ability to produce huà (paintings). In the modern age, shū fǎ is known worldwide as a unique type of art, representing one of the most distinctive features of Chinese civilization. To people in the West, Chinese calligraphy symbolizes a complex, distinct, remote , and mysterious cultural heritage. These perceptions stem in part from differences between Eastern and Western worldviews, but the written signs themselves also present a seemingly insurmountable barrier. However, Chinese calligraphy is also fascinating and attractive in Western eyes. Recent advances in communication between China and the rest of the globe have piqued interest in China’s culture, language, chinese writing and calligraphy 2 worldview, and way of life. Both within China and elsewhere, knowledge of Chinese calligraphy is seen a mark of education, creativity, and cultural sophistication. tHis BooK This book introduces Chinese calligraphy and its techniques to anyone with an interest in Chinese brush writing. It does not presuppose any previous knowledge of the Chinese language or writing system. The chapters are designed with the following objectives: (1) to describe in detail the techniques of Chinese brush writing at the beginning level, (2) to provide high-quality models with practical and interesting characters for writing practice, and (3) to introduce linguistic, cultural, historical, and philosophical aspects of Chinese calligraphy. In the discussion comparisons are made with Western culture and characteristics of the English language and calligraphy . The book consists of fourteen chapters of text supplemented in an appendix with models for brush-writing practice. Detailed instruction in brush-writing techniques form the heart of the book. A standard training procedure is outlined first, followed by a detailed examination of three fundamental elements of Chinese calligraphy: stroke techniques, the structure of Chinese characters, and the art of composition. Training in brush writing begins with brush strokes in the Regular Script. According to the traditional Chinese training method, domestic calligraphy students always spend a substantial amount of time mastering the Regular Script before moving on to other styles. Learners in the West, however, generally prefer to have the opportunity to learn about and practice writing various scripts. Therefore, this book focuses on basic brush writing skills in the Regular Script in the first half and then introduces Small Seal Script, Clerical Script, and Running/Cursive styles in the second half. Learners are exposed to a diversity of script styles. They are not expected to master them by the end of this book, although some students, with repeated practice , may be able to write some characters in a particular script quite well. Some learners or instructors may prefer not to practice all the scripts introduced in this book. Instructors or individual learners can decide the number of additional script types to be included in the course of study, whether hands-on writing practice is done for all of them, and the amount of time to be devoted to each script. Serious students will no doubt need further training and practice in order to gain competence in artistic and creative production. For this purpose, the reading list at the end of this book provides some resources for further study in English. The book also describes in detail the formation of Chinese characters, their stroke types, stroke order, components, and major layout patterns. Many of the explanations given here are not found in other calligraphy books. The book title Chinese Writing and Calligraphy well reflects this special feature. The history of the Chinese calligraphic art is presented through a review of early Chinese writing, the introduction 3 development of different writing styles, the ways in which calligraphy is adapting to the modern age, and the ongoing debate on the future of the time-honored traditional art. Cultural aspects discussed in the book include writing instruments...