Calligraphy and painting are regarded as two of the four skills for a learned and elegant scholar to pursue in the ancient China. Shu (calligraphy), Hua (painting), Qin (a string musical instrument), and Qi (a strategic board game) are the four basic skills and they were also held as a good exercise to cultivate one's temperament.
The word "calligraphy" is originally a Greek word meaning "beautiful writing." We usually associate this word with good penmanship, handwriting that is neat, legible and attractive. In China, however, calligraphy is regarded as an art form in itself and is admired and displayed in museums just as paintings are. Moreover, calligraphy is often used to decorate articles of everyday use. For instance, when you go to a Chinese restaurant you may notice that the dishes are painted with characters as well as with colorful pictures. Even on the ordinary, everyday level of life, beautiful writing is appreciated.
Chinese painting
Traditional Chinese Painting is famous for its original style and distinctive national features in the world. Over the centuries, the practice of countless artists made it an art subdivided into a multitude of schools with some traits in common.
Over the thousands of years, the style of Chinese Calligraphy (Shu Fa)has evolved continually. About 213 B.C., under the famous Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who perpetrated the 'burning of the books', the Prime Minister Li Szu drew up an official index of characters and unified the written form for the use of scholars.
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