中国书法介绍(英文版)Calligraphy Introduction

CalligraphyCalligraphyisunderstoodinChinaastheartofwritingagoodhandwiththebrushorthestudyoftherulesandtechniquesofthisart.AssuchitispeculiartoChinaandthefewcountriesinfluencedbyancientChineseculture.InthehistoryofChineseart,calligraphyhasalwaysbeenheldinequalimportancetopainting.Greatattentionisalsopaidtodaytoitsdevelopmentbyholdingexhibitionsofancientandcontemporaryworksandbyorganizingcompetitionsamongyoungstersandpeoplefromvariouswalksoflife.SharingofexperienceinthisfieldoftenmakesafeatureinSino-Japaneseculturalexchange.Chinesecalligraphy,likethescriptitself,beganwiththehieroglyphsand,overthelongagesofevolution,hasdevelopedvariousstylesandschools,constitutinganimportantpartoftheheritageofnationalculture.ClassificationChinesescriptsaregenerallydividedintofivecategories:Thesealcharacter(zhuan),theofficialorclericalscript(li),theregularscript(kai),therunninghand(xing)andthecursivehand(cao).1)Thezhuanscriptorsealcharacterwastheearliestformofwritingaftertheoracleinscriptions,whichmusthavecausedgreatinconveniencebecausetheylackeduniformityandmanycharacterswerewritteninvariantforms.Thefirsteffortfortheunificationofwriting,itissaid,tookplaceduringthereignofKingXuan(827-782B.C.)oftheWesternZhouDynasty,whenhistaishi(grandhistorian)ShiZhoucompiledalexiconof15chapters,standardizingChinesewritingunderscriptcalledzhuan.Itisalsoknownaszhouwenafterthenameoftheauthor.Thisscript,oftenusedinseals,istranslatedintoEnglishasthesealcharacter,orasthecurlyscriptaftertheshapeofitsstrokes.ShiZhou'slexicon(whichsomethoughtwaswrittenbyalaterauthorofthestateofQin)hadlongbeenlost,yetitisgenerallyagreedthattheinscriptionsonthedrum-shapedQinstoneblockswerebasicallyofthesamestyleastheoldzhuanscript.When,in221B.C.,EmperorQinShiHuangunifiedthewholeofChinaunderonecentralgovernment,heorderedhisPrimeMinisterLiSitocollectandsortoutallthedifferentsystemsofwritinghithertoprevalentindifferentpartsofthecountryinagreatefforttounifythewrittenlanguageunderonesystem.WhatLidid,ineffect,wastosimplifytheancientzhuan(smallseal)script.TodaywehaveamostvaluablerelicofthisancientwritinginthecreatorLiSi'sownhandengravedonastelestandingintheTempletotheGodofTaishanMountaininShandongProvince.The2,200-year-oldstele,wornbyageandweather,hasonlynineandahalfcharactersleftonit.2)Thelishu(officialscript)cameinthewakeofthexiaozhuaninthesameshort-livedQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).Thiswasbecausethexiaozhuan,thoughasimplifiedformofscript,wasstilltoocomplicatedforthescribesinthevariousgovernmentofficeswhohadtocopyanincreasingamountofdocuments.ChengMiao,aprisonwarden,madeafurthersimplificationofthexiaozhuan,changingthecurlystrokesintostraightandangularonesandthusmakingwritingmucheasier.Afurtherstepawayfromthepictographs,itwasnamedlishubecauseliinclassicalChinesemeantclerkorscribe.AnotherversionsaysthatChengMiao,becauseofcertainoffence,becameaprisonerandslavehimself;astheancientsalsocalledboundslavesli,sothescriptwasnamedlishuorthescriptofaslave.3)Thelishuwasalreadyverycloseto,andledtotheadoptionof,kaishu,regularscript.TheoldestexistingexampleofthisdatesfromtheWei(220-265),andthescriptdevelopedundertheJin(265-420).Thestandardwritingtodayissquareinform,non-cursiveandarchitecturalinstyle.Thecharactersarecomposedofanumberofstrokesoutofatotalofeightkinds-thedot,thehorizontal,thevertical,thehook,therising,theleft-falling(shortandlong)andtheright-fallingstrokes.Anyaspirantforthestatusofcalligraphermuststartbylearningtowriteagoodhandinkaishu.4)Onthebasisoflishualsoevolvedcaoshu(grasswritingorcursivehand),whichisrapidandusedformakingquickbutroughcopies.Thisstyleissubdividedintotwoschools:zhangcaoandjincao.ThefirstoftheseemergedatthetimetheQinwasreplacedbytheHanDynastybetweenthe3rdand2ndcenturiesB.C.Thecharacters,thoughwrittenrapidly,stillstandseparateonefromanotherandthedotsarenotlinkedupwithotherstrokes.JincaoorthemoderncursivehandissaidtohavebeendevelopedbyZhangZhi(?-c.192A.D.)oftheEasternHanDynasty,flourishedintheJinandTangdynastiesandisstillwidelypopulartoday.Itistheessenceofthecaoshu,especiallyjincao,thatthecharactersareexecutedswiftlywiththestrokesrunningtogether.Thecharactersareoftenjoinedup,withthelaststrokeofthefirstmergingintotheinitialstrokeofthenext.Theyalsovaryinsizeinthesamepieceofwriting,allseeminglydictatedbythewhimsofthewriter.AgreatmasteratcaoshuwasZhangXu(early8thcentury)oftheTangDynasty,notedforthecompleteabandonwithwhichheappliedthebrush.Itissaidthathewouldnotsetaboutwritinguntilhehadgotdrunk.Thishedid,allowingthebrushtogallopacrossthepaper,curling,twistingormeanderinginoneunbrokenstroke,thuscreatinganoriginalstyle.Todayonemaystillseefragmentsofastelecarvedwithcharactersinhishandwriting,keptintheProvincialMuseumofShaanxi.Thebestexampleandmodelforxingshu,allChinesecalligrapherswillagree,istheInscriptiononLantingPavilioninthehandofWangXizhi(321-379)oftheEasternJinDynasty.TolearntowriteanicehandinChinesecalligraphy,assiduousandperseveringpracticeisnecessary.ThishasbeenborneoutbythemanygreatmastersChinahasproduced.WangXizhi,thegreatartistjustmentioned,whohasexertedaprofound