I think calligraphy should both imitate the ancients and innovate. Imitation of the ancients is the foundation and innovation is the purpose. If you don't imitate the ancients, you won't be able to embody tradition, and calligraphy will lose its roots; if you don't innovate, people will be the same, and calligraphy will lose its vitality.
Why should learning calligraphy start by imitating the ancients? This is determined by the nature and characteristics of Chinese calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy is a unique art in China with the essential attributes of Chinese culture. It is writing with Chinese characters as the carrier, that is, the art of writing Chinese characters. After thousands of years of hard work by countless people, Chinese calligraphy has been basically complete in terms of the physical structure of characters and writing techniques. Only by honestly studying the ancients can we truly learn the essence and techniques of calligraphy. The two most critical elements of calligraphy are characters and rules and techniques. If you don't write traditional calligraphy, it will inevitably become an ugly calligraphy; if you don't write according to the rules and techniques, the handwriting will inevitably become Jianghu style. For thousands of years, calligraphy has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, imitating the ancients is inheritance, fundamental and the only way.
Imitate the ancients and inherit the tradition, with the purpose of creating calligraphy works that meet the requirements of the times. Therefore, innovation is the purpose. In terms of innovation in calligraphy, countless literati have been diligently pursuing it since ancient times, which has greatly promoted the prosperity and development of calligraphy, making the bright pearl of Chinese calligraphy radiant and colorful. But innovation is by no means a negation of traditional calligraphy, nor is it the worship of foreigners and the creation of new styles. In recent years, some people have taken advantage of their high power to make a fuss about certain one-sided theories in history, causing great confusion in the calligraphy community. Take Xiaozhuan, for example, which was more popular during the short period of the Qin Dynasty. It is characterized by its beauty and roundness. However, sometimes people make it staggered or write all over the paper with white paper (Xiaozhuan is not white), so that the original dignified and beautiful appearance of Xiaozhuan is gone. Cun, where does this innovation come from? In fact, this theory is misleading to calligraphy, and this approach is undoubtedly a disfigurement of calligraphy. What's more, the popularity of ugly calligraphy has almost led calligraphy innovation to heresy. The reason why Ugly Book is not innovative is that it focuses on changing Chinese characters that have been customary for thousands of years. It is written as graffiti that no one can understand. The so-called characters are no longer characters. This is shaking the foundation of calligraphy. The carrier is gone, the skin is gone, how will the hair be attached?
What belongs to the nation belongs to the world. Chinese calligraphy is a unique culture of China. Only by adhering to tradition can Chinese calligraphy have distinctive Chinese characteristics; only by having distinctive Chinese characteristics can the essence and characteristics of Chinese calligraphy be reflected, so that Chinese calligraphy has strong vitality, is unique in world culture, and stays young forever. We must learn from the ancients with an open mind, based on our own preferences and aesthetic tastes, focus on one family, draw on the strengths of other families, and incorporate our own emotions and writing skills according to the requirements of the times. This is innovation in the true sense.