The origin of hard pen calligraphy can be traced back to ancient times, when people used stone tablets and knives to depict tortoise shells and animal bones. The appearance of "pen" provides a prerequisite for writing and the development of Chinese characters. The writing and application of Chinese characters are always inseparable. Practically speaking, soft pens made of wool, bamboo and bone are flexible, but it is inconvenient to write. Soft pen generally has a long pen tube, more ink and larger handwriting, so it uses more paper. There is also the separation of soft pen and ink, which is more troublesome to use. These conditions have certain restrictions on writing. Hard pen only uses a pen with a length of more than ten centimeters, replacing all the functions of pen, ink and inkstone.
Hard pen has a thin tip, small handwriting and less paper, which is enough for learning and recording. Therefore, hard pen is of positive significance to the popularization of Chinese characters. It has been over 100 years since the British inventor wortmann invented the first dip pen. In this historical process, due to the progress of science and technology, the dip pen has been continuously improved, and great progress has been made in terms of types, techniques, performance and style. , forming a family series of pens with pens as the mainstay, supplemented by pencils and ballpoint pens. , collectively referred to as "hard pen".
The appearance of hard pen in China ended the dominant position of writing brush which has been used for thousands of years, and began to become the first choice for people to write. Hard-pen calligraphy has artistic aesthetic characteristics different from brush calligraphy. It is a new form of Chinese character writing after the advent of hard-pen calligraphy, which has distinct characteristics of the times and adds new connotation to the art of Chinese character writing.