Chinese Calligraphy

This Chinese calligraphy book is an exploration of the aesthetics, culture and history surrounding this treasured art form.

Chinese calligraphy, an indispensable part of the traditional Chinese culture, is an ancient art form that utilizes the unique characters as a vehicle to communicate the emotional and aesthetic world of the artist. By wielding the soft brush with strength and dexterity, the artist works with the lines and strokes of a character within its defined structure to make it look like a painting. For thousands of years, Chinese calligraphy has developed into a highly sophisticated art form with an enduring influence on Chinese painting and other traditional arts.

Aiming at offering an appreciation for the beauty of Chinese calligraphy, this book provides a general picture of the five kinds of scripts, namely seal script (zhuan), clerical script (li), regular script (kai), running script (xing) and cursive script (cao), each followed by some most notable works as illustrations.