Chinese Social Sciences Today Culture 8 THURSDAY JUNE 24 2021 Evolution of Chinese characters in art

By ZHANG QINGLI

Chinese calligraphy is an art form based on the handwriting of Chi- nese characters. From the earliest Chinese calligraphy is the stylized oracle bone script to today’s simpli- artistic writing of Chinese characters. fied characters, Chinese writing Photo: CFP has been evolving. In a recent in- terview with CSST, Liu Shaogang, a research fellow from the Chinese Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, shared his views about Chinese cal- calligraphy ligraphy and the development of Chinese characters. Edited by REN GUANHONG

CSST: The structure of Chinese Chinese calligraphy is the stylized characters is of high aesthetic value. artistic writing of Chinese characters, Can you introduce the artistic including several major styles. features of Chinese characters in Oracle bone inscriptions used dur- terms of calligraphy? ing the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 Liu: Shuowen Jiezi, a Han Dy- BCE) are identified as the earliest nasty dictionary compiled by Xu form of Chinese characters. This writ- Shen (c. 58-147), lists six manners ing style was followed by a form of in which characters are formed or FILE PHOTOS: The evolution of the Chinese character for dragon (long) writing found on bronze vessels main- used, known as liushu—pictograms ly cast during the Shang and Zhou (xiangxing), simple ideograms pearance of handwriting. discoveries and topics did these through history, have been changed (c. 1046–256 BCE) dynasties. These (zhishi, characters difficult to vi- materials bring to the study of Chi- due to the diversified brushwork bronze inscriptions were known as sualize shown by a single abstract CSST: Chinese characters evolved nese calligraphy? found in unearthed bamboo texts jinwen (bronze inscriptions). symbol), compound ideographs over a long history. What were the Liu: Thanks to the large number from the Warring States Period. Zhuanshu, or seal script, evolved (huiyi, characters combining two major changes in script as Chinese of unearthed bamboo slips and silk From “Shenwu Fu,” a story writ- out of bronze inscriptions toward the or more pictographic or ideo- characters were developing? manuscripts, we have a new under- ten on the wooden slips excavated end of the Zhou Dynasty. There are graphic characters to suggest a Liu: From the Shang (c. 1600– standing of the origins and evolu- from Yinwan Village in Jiangsu two kinds of seal scripts: dazhuan third meaning), semantic-phonetic 1046 BCE) and Zhou (c. 1046–256 tion of clerical script. Before the Province, we found cursive script (large-seal script) and xiaozhuan compounds (xingsheng, characters BCE) dynasties to the Spring and discovery of ancient wooden texts, writings dating to the late Western (small-seal script). Dazhuan is a that contain usually two parts: one Autumn Period (770–476 BCE) most of the characters written in Han Dynasty. This cursive script traditional reference to all types of represents the pronunciation and and the Warring States Period clerical script were found on stone is quite similar to zhangcao, an Chinese writing systems used before another explains the meaning), (475–221 BCE), Chinese characters inscriptions from the Han Dynasty. early form of cursive script handed the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE). mutually explanatory characters gradually developed from hiero- Hence, Kang Youwei (1858–1927) down from generation to genera- After China was united for the first (zhuanzhu), and phonetic loan glyphic forms to line drawings. and other scholars doubted ac- tion. Bamboo slips unearthed from time, xiaozhuan was developed and characters (jiajie). The first four The “ancient clerical script” (guli), counts that clerical scripts came Zoumalou in Changsha, Hunan adopted as the formal script for the categories refer to ways to compose which was developed and used in into being during the Qin Dynasty. Province, dated to the reign of whole country. This script features Chinese characters; the last two the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE), The unearthed bamboo texts from Emperor Wu of Han, proved that an even line-weight, many curves, describe ways to use characters. marked the beginning of Chinese the Shuihudi Tomb in Hubei Prov- cursive script had been widely used and circles. A single Chinese character is a characters’ transition from the form ince, and from Liye Ancient City as a new form of calligraphy during The growing demand for record- combination of a pictogram, an of line drawings to brushstrokes. in Hunan Province, offered early the Yuanshuo Era (128–123 BCE). keeping gave rise to the fourth stage ideogram, and phonetic elements. Clerical script matured in the forms of clerical script that were in Therefore, traditional accounts of development in Chinese calligra- This multilayered composition is middle of the Western Han era (206 use before and after the Qin state about the origin of cursive script phy, lishu, or clerical script, which important for maintaining China’s BCE–8 CE), meaning that Chinese unified China as a centralized po- should be updated according to was most widely used in the Han cultural unity. characters’ stroke-form entered a litical power. Today, clerical script new archaeological discoveries. Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Char- Writing Chinese characters is new development stage. used during the Qin era, and the Since the pre-Qin period more acters transcribed in clerical script also a rich art form. Chinese cal- After the Wei, Jin, Southern and period preceding the reign of Em- than 2,000 years ago, Chinese style tend to be square or rectangu- ligraphy has varied with the times, Northern Dynasties, the running peror Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE), characters had experienced the lar, with a greater width than height. displaying different styles that script and regular script were com- is called “ancient clerical script” in most dramatic changes until sta- They often have a wavelike flaring of correspond with different periods monly used in daily life. However, academia. Meanwhile, it is widely bilizing at the end of the Wei, Jin, isolated major strokes. in China’s history. For example, seal scripts and clerical scripts could accepted that “bafen clerical script,” Southern and Northern Dynasties. The birth of kaishu, or regular it is said that the “natural rhyme” still be found in calligraphic art- an expressive style characterized The extant wooden slips and silk script, marked the fifth stage of de- of calligraphy was admired most works, and were favored as a form by an exaggeration of sweeping manuscripts are all dated from velopment in Chinese calligraphy. during the Wei, Jin, Southern and of art with unique aesthetic value. strokes that is visually similar to this period. In order to write faster, This script was developed during the Northern Dynasties (220-589), There is a script style featuring the tail of a wild goose, matured the Qin people started to improve Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern when people were deeply influ- “greater freehand brushwork,” or between the reigns of Emperor Wu seal script, which led to the birth Dynasties (220-589), simplifying enced by Taoist ideas such as being abbreviated brushwork, known as and Emperor Xuan (r. 74–48 BCE) of “ancient clerical script.” The the clerical script into a more fluent freed from worldly desires and cursive script (caoshu). In cursive of the Western Han Dynasty. “ancient clerical script” finally ma- and easily written form. Regular concerns. The Tang Dynasty (618- script, the strokes are reduced to Nowadays, Chinese characters tured into standard clerical script script remains the standard script in 907) featured economic prosperity, abstract abbreviations of curves are generally categorized accord- in the Han Dynasty, which was use today. cultural vibrancy, and efficient state and dots. This script style is not ing to five major scripts in Chinese called “Han clerical script” (hanli). Also born during the Han Dy- governance. Calligraphy from this bound by rules. Without a given calligraphy, the seal script, clerical After the reign of Emperor Wu nasty, the xingshu (running script) era had magnificent, luxurious, context, the characters written in script, cursive script, running script, and Emperor Xuan of the Western and caoshu (cursive script) were the and solemn artistic features. Dif- cursive script would be difficult to and regular script. Oracle bone Han Dynasty, a new form emerged results of rapidly writing. The cur- ferent from the Tang, people from read. Therefore, cursive script is an script, bronze inscriptions, and out of clerical script, known as sive script features vibrating strokes the Song Dynasty (960-1279) em- abstract art form of Chinese char- bamboo texts dating to the Warring “neo-clerical” script, which became that are connected with each other. phasized freehand brushwork, an acters. The artistic and aesthetic States Period are sub-categories of the dominant script. From this It is hard to identify without a given unrestrained unconventional style quality of Chinese characters gives the seal script. However, guwen neo-clerical script, running script context. The running script is a style that could express personalities or cursive script an important place (Chinese writings preceding the was developed. As people wrote in between regular script and cursive moods. Influenced by trends that in the development of Chinese Qin Dynasty) calligraphy has long running script in a more and more script. It is easy to recognize and is followed and imitated Jin Dynasty characters. been neglected. Yet, guwen has his- dignified and tidy fashion, regular fluent and practical. However, these (266-420) calligraphy, people from torically played an important role in script was created. The wooden two styles have never been thought the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming CSST: In our modern era, numer- Chinese calligraphy. The traditional texts and silk manuscripts clearly of as standard writing because of (1368-1644) dynasties attached ous historical written materials ideas of guwen calligraphy, which exhibit the evolution of Chinese their many variations. Instead, they great attention to the form and ap- have been unearthed. What new were based on texts passed down characters and scripts. have been used as a form of art.