By: Tori Gorom

 Chinese calligraphy dates back to 4000 years ago.  Characters were written on turtle shells and animal bones during this time.  Calligraphy first appeared as an art during the Han dynasty.  There were many famous works of calligraphy done during this period.  However the authors are unknown because it was uncommon for authors to sign their works.  In the Jin dynasty many great calligraphers appeared, including Wang Xizhi.

 During the North and South dynasty, calligraphy was written on tablets called Wei Bei.  Calligraphy was taken the most seriously during the Tang dynasty.  In the Song and the Qing dynasties calligraphy was kept in the house of the emperor's family, so the commo people did not see it.  Fortunately in the Qing dynasty, many calligraphy tablets were discovered, leading calligraphy to become popular again.

 1. The Writing Brush- The “penpoint” of this brush is large and soft. It is usually made out of animal hair which is critical to the quality of the brush. Calligraphers usually have their favorite types of brushes.  2. The ink stick- This is basically ink in a solid state. To get ink from the stick a calligrapher must rub it against a slab to produce powder, then add water.

 3. Paper- Cai Lin invented paper in the Han dynasty. The most famous paper used for calligraphy is rice paper, which is also called Xuan paper after the city it originated from.  4. Ink Slab- The ink powder from the ink stick is mixed with powder in the ink slab. Most slabs are made out of stone, pottery, brick, and tile.

 The Zuan style is also known as the seal style. Great Seal style is very close to ancient Chinese writing. Small seal style resembles ligaments because of its twisting stroke. Small seal style is more suitable for beginners.  Li style is also called clerical style. It originated in the Chin dynasty were it was used by low ranked government officials. It simplifies the strokes of the Zuan style.

 The Hsin style looks smooth and connected. It was established during the Han dynasty and is faster to write than the Li and Kai styles.  The Kai style is the most standard of all the calligraphy styles. In this style, each stroke is clear and separate.

 Tsao style is called running style and is the most abstract and difficult type of Chinese calligraphy. It requires learning difficult techniques while expressing freedom and beauty. Tsao style was developed around the same time as Li style.

 Tien-Lcheu invented ink in 2067 BC. He took soot from pine wood and mixed it with oil from lamps. He then made gelatin out of donkey skin and musk which he mixed with the soot and the oil.  Ts'ai Lun invented paper. He took the bark of a mulberry tree and bamboo fibers and mixed them with water. This mixture was pounded with a wooden hammer and poured onto a flat piece of cloth. The water drained through the cloth leaving only the fibers.

 In 1954 the earliest ink brush was found. Early ink brushes were very simple. They included a wooden stalk and a bamboo tube which secures the hair to the top of the brush.  The earliest ink slab was made out of stone but who invented it is a very controversial question. The Ancient Chinese believed that the Yellow Emperor created the ink slab, however archaeologists have found that ink stones were in use thousands of years before the Yellow Emperor was born.

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