The Four Treasures of Chinese Calligraphy

24 October 2020 ((Wall Street International)* —  Chinese calligraphy, (Chin. 書法 shū faˇ), contains the essence of Chinese culture. Calligraphy is one of four noble arts in China. It is a connective dimension where the Chinese language, history, philosophy, and aesthetics merge.

Shufa’s literal translation “the way of writing” expresses the very root of the art; close bonds with Chinese written signs, on the one hand, and painting, on the other. It is a known art for the cultivation of the mind, which is one of the most distinctive features of Chinese culture.

Ink

At the present most calligraphy beginners use liquid ink as it’s cheap and convenient. Experienced calligraphers, in the contrary, grind their own ink from ink sticks in order to control ink solution’s consistency. The ink used in traditional Chinese calligraphy is always black. It is made basically from two ingredients: lampblack and glue made from animal hides or horns.

After they are mixed to form a paste, they are stored in wooden molds to be formed into small pieces of various shapes. When the mold is removed and the pieces are dry, the ink sticks are then decorated with painted designs and characters.