Calligraphy in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period: During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were great differences in writing among countries, which was a major obstacle to economic and cultural development.

After Qin Shihuang unified the whole country, Prime Minister Li Si presided over the unification of the national characters, which was a great achievement in the cultural history of China. After the unification of Qin Dynasty, this script was called Qin Zhuan, also known as Xiao Zhuan, which was simplified on the basis of Jin Wen and Shi Guwen. Li Si, a famous calligrapher, presided over the compilation of Xiao Zhuan. Yishan stone carving, Taishan stone carving, Langya stone carving and Huiji stone carving are books written by Li Si. All previous dynasties have a very high evaluation. Qin is a period of change of inheritance and innovation. The preface to Shuo Wen Jie Zi says: "Shu Qin has eight styles, namely, big seal, small seal, seal, worm, kai, official script and official script." It basically summarizes the face of the font at this time. Li's seal script was harsh and inconvenient to write, so official script appeared. Official script is also a great victory of seal script. Its purpose is to facilitate writing. During the Western Han Dynasty, official script changed from seal script to official script, and its structure changed from vertical to horizontal, with more obvious lines and waves. The appearance of official script is a great progress of China characters and a revolution in the history of calligraphy, which not only makes Chinese characters tend to be square, but also breaks through a single center in brushwork, laying the foundation for various calligraphy schools in the future. In addition to the above calligraphy masterpieces, there are also handwriting such as imperial edict, weight, tile and coin. In the Qin dynasty, the style was very different. Calligraphy in Qin Dynasty left a brilliant page in the history of calligraphy in China, which is a pioneering work.

Western Han Dynasty and Eastern Han Dynasty

Calligraphy in Han Dynasty can be divided into two forms: one is the mainstream system of stone carvings in China; One is tile seal, and the other is bamboo and silk alliance calligraphy and ink. The Monument to Yun Qi in the Later Han Dynasty is a symbol of Han Li's maturity. Among the cliff stone carvings (words carved on cliffs), Ode to Shimen is the most famous, and calligraphers regard it as a "masterpiece". At the same time, Cai Yong's The Book of Songs of Jiaping meets the requirements of restoring ancient ways and adjusting fetal interest. Inscription is the most important art form reflecting the times and phonology, among which Feng Longshan, The Story of the Western Chamber, Kong Zhou, Yi Ying, Chen Shi, Zhang Qian and Cao Quan are especially admired and imitated by later generations. It can be said that each monument is unique and has no similarities. The northern book is magnificent, while the southern book is simple, which embodies the different aesthetic pursuits of the "scholar" and "vulgar" classes. As for the tile seal and the simple silk script, it embodies the combination of artistry and practicality.

The writing rules of Chinese characters in China's calligraphy are holding a pen, using a pen, stippling, structure and style.

The prosperity of calligraphy art began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Calligraphy theory's works appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the earliest calligraphy theory author was Yang Xiong at the turn of the Han Dynasty. The first calligraphy theory monograph was a cursive script written by Cui Yuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Calligraphers in the Han Dynasty can be divided into two categories: one is calligraphers in the Han Dynasty, represented by Cai Yong. One is cursive writers, represented by Du Du, Cui Yuan and Zhang Zhi, and later called "Cao Sheng".

Bamboo slips calligraphy can best represent the characteristics of calligraphy in Han Dynasty. There are many inscriptions in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The inscriptions in this period were carved by Han Li, with square fonts, strict statutes and clear waves. At this time, the official script has reached its peak.

The creation of Cao Zhang in Han Dynasty and the birth of cursive script are of great significance in the history of calligraphy. It marks that calligraphy has begun to become an art that can express emotions and express calligraphers' personality with high freedom. The primary stage of cursive script is cursive script. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, cursive script developed further and formed Cao Zhang. Later, Zhang Zhi founded modern calligraphy, namely cursive script.

Three Kingdoms

During the Three Kingdoms period, official script began to decline from the peak position of Han Dynasty, and evolved into regular script, which became another theme of calligraphy art. Regular script, also known as official script and original work, was created by Zhong You. Regular script entered the history of stone carving in the Three Kingdoms period. During the Three Kingdoms (Wei) period, the List of Recommended Seasons and the Declaration Form became the treasures handed down from generation to generation.

Western Jin Dynasty and Eastern Jin Dynasty

The Jin Dynasty advocated elegance and taste in life, and pursued the beauty of moderation and simplicity in art. Many calligraphers came forth in large numbers, and bamboo slips were the second kings (Wang Xizhi. Wang Xianzhi) Yan Fang's exquisite artistic taste caters to the requirements of literati, and people increasingly realize that writing has aesthetic value. Wang Xizhi is the most representative and influential calligrapher in the history of calligraphy in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and is known as the "sage of calligraphy". Wang Xizhi's running script "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" is known as "the best running script in the world", and critics say that his writing style is like floating clouds and smart. His son, Wang Xianzhi, created a "broken body" and a "stroke" with strong calligraphy style, which made great contributions in the history of calligraphy. With the support of Lu Ji, Wei, Jin, Wang Dao, Xie An, Liang Jian and other calligraphy families, the calligraphy of the Southern School is quite prosperous. Yang Xin, Qi, Xiao Ziyun and Chen of Liang in the Southern Song Dynasty were all his followers.

At the peak of calligraphy in Jin Dynasty, it was mainly manifested in running script, which was a font between cursive script and regular script. His representative works "Sanxi", namely "Yuan Bo Tie", "Sunshine Tie in Fast Snow" and "Mid-Autumn Festival Tie".

Southern and Northern Dynasties

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, China's calligraphy art entered the era of "Bei Bei Nan Tie".

The Northern Wei Dynasty and the Eastern Wei Dynasty are the best calligraphers in the Northern Dynasties, and their styles are also colorful. Representative works include Zhang Menglong Monument and Shi Jing Jun Monument. The representative works in the inscriptions are: thousands of words on true grass. The Northern Dynasties praised their ancestors, exposed their possessions, and carved many stones, such as the North Monument and the South Post, the North Tour, and the North Xiongnan Repair. These are the basic differences. For example, the masterpiece of North and South is Yi written by Liang in the Southern Dynasties. The "Zheng Wengong Monument" in the Northern Wei Dynasty can be described as a binary star between the North and the South. Most northern writers are Shu Ren, and this book is anonymous. Therefore, calligraphy was crowned as "the sage in the book", while the northern writer was Wang Youjun.

Sui dynasty

The Sui Dynasty ended the chaos in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and unified China. The Sui Dynasty and the later Tang Dynasty were relatively stable periods, and the development of Nantie and Beibei went hand in hand with the Sui Dynasty, formally completing the form of regular script, occupying a position of connecting the past with the future in the history of books. Sui Kai inherited the evolution of Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. A new standardization bureau was established in the Tang Dynasty. There are inscriptions in the Sui Dynasty, mostly authentic, which are divided into four styles:

1, the tablet of Qifa Temple in Pinghe Ruding Road Tiger, etc.

2. Fang is called "Dong's epitaph".

3, deep and round, such as "Xin Xing Zen Master Taming".

4. Xiulang is as exquisite as the "Longzang Temple Monument".

the Tang Dynasty

The culture of the Tang Dynasty was profound and brilliant, reaching the peak of China's feudal culture, which can be described as "books flourished in the early Tang Dynasty". There were more ink marks in the Tang Dynasty than in the previous generation, and a large number of inscriptions left precious calligraphy works.

The calligraphy of the whole Tang Dynasty is the inheritance and innovation of the previous generation. Regular script, running script and cursive script all entered a new situation in the Tang Dynasty, with outstanding characteristics of the times, and their influence on later generations far exceeded that of any previous era.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the national strength was strong, and calligraphy broke away from the legacy of the Six Dynasties. Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang and Xue Ji are the mainstream of calligraphy. The general feature is that the structure is rigorous and neat, so the essays of later generations are all said to be the' crown of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty', which was once honored as the' crown of calligraphy' until the song and dance in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The combination of Confucianism and Taoism, Li Yong changed the right army, unique. Zhang Xu and Huai Su pushed the cursive performance to the extreme with their drunkenness, Sun Caoshu was good at being elegant, and He and others also made great efforts to create reality. Liu Gongquan changed the model law again. Expose your thinness and strength. It further enriched the method, and in the Five Dynasties, it used Yan and Liu at the same time. When the two kings acceded to the throne, the flanks took a stance and made great efforts. Therefore, when they left the troubled times, they all fought alone in the image of Rao Chengping, which is also the light of Tang books. On the occasion of the Five Dynasties, crazy Zen became popular, which also affected the calligraphy circle. Crazy Zen calligraphy did not appear on a large scale in the Five Dynasties, but it had a great influence on calligraphy in the Song Dynasty.

The art of calligraphy in Tang Dynasty can be divided into three periods: early Tang, middle Tang and late Tang. In the early Tang Dynasty, inheritance was the mainstay, statutes were respected, and the beauty of gold calligraphy was deliberately pursued. In the middle Tang Dynasty, innovation continued and it was extremely prosperous. Calligraphy also improved in the late Tang Dynasty.

There were six kinds of institutions of higher learning in the Tang Dynasty, namely imperial academy, Imperial College, Four Schools, Law, Calligraphy and Mathematics. Among them, it is a pioneering work in the Tang Dynasty to train calligraphers and calligraphers. Famous artists come forth in large numbers, Starlight Glimmer. Such as Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang in the early Tang Dynasty; Liu Gongquan and others in the middle Tang Dynasty. Are great calligraphers. In the late Tang Dynasty, there were Wang Wenbing's seal script, Li E's regular script and Yang Ningshi's "Two Kings Yan Liu" aftertaste.

Statue of Yan Zhenqing

Liu Gongquan said: "The heart is right and the pen is writing well."

An overview of calligraphy in Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties

(1) Sui Dynasty to early Tang Dynasty.

Sui unified China and accepted the culture and art of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, politics flourished, and the art of calligraphy gradually emerged from the legacy of the Six Dynasties with a new attitude. In the early Tang Dynasty, regular script was the mainstream, and its overall feature was strict and orderly structure.

(2) In the middle of the Tang Dynasty.

Calligraphy in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, like the social form at that time, pursued a romantic way of getting carried away. For example, Zhang Dian Drunkenness (Zhang Xu, Huai Su) and Li Yong's running script. In the middle Tang Dynasty, regular script made a new breakthrough.

The artistry of calligraphy in Song Dynasty was the result of Zhu's advocacy of Neo-Confucianism. The connotation of artistic conception includes four points: first, philosophical, second, bookish, third, stylized and fourth, artistic expression, which is also a point of mediating individuality and originality in calligraphy creation. These are all reflected in calligraphy. If the worship of dharma in Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties was the embodiment of seeking "writing", then in Song Dynasty, calligraphy began to appear in front of the world with a new look of respecting meaning and expressing emotion. In other words, calligraphers should not only have two levels of "nature" and "hard work", but also have "learning", that is, "bookish", so that northern Song Sijia can change the face of Tang Kai. Direct promotion and calligraphy heritage.

No matter Cai Xiang and Su Dongpo, who have great talent and innovative spirit, or Huang Tingjian and Mi Fei, who admire the ancients, they all strive to show their calligraphy style and highlight an unconventional posture, which makes the academic atmosphere depressed between pen and ink and gives people a new aesthetic mood. Wu Ji, Lu You, Fan Chengda, Zhu Wen Tianxiang and so on in the Southern Song Dynasty are further extended. Calligraphers in Song Dynasty were represented by Su, Huang, Mi and Cai.