Han Li's representative figures are Cai Yong and Zhong You, and his representative works include Shi Chenbei, The West Chamber, Cao Quanbei, Zhang Qianbei and Ode to Shimen.
The word "Li Shu" first appeared in the History of Han Shu Literature and Art written by Ban Gu, a historian in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to Ban Gu's records, this writing method was "applied to the disciples" in the Qin Dynasty, and later generations also said that "it is wonderful to make a servant".
It used to be thought that the original user of this font, a junior official who copied documents in prison, was called "official script" at that time, so this font was also called "official script". In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xu Shen, a famous philologist, used the name "Lishu" in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, and formally established it as a calligraphy term with reference to this font style and form.
Han Li, also known as Bafen, Fenshu and Li Fen. , is the floorboard of the han dynasty official script. Generally, it is divided into two systems: bamboo slips, silk scripts and inscriptions. The official script in Han Dynasty changed from metaphysics to metaphysics, which laid the foundation for the appearance of original works in Wei and Jin Dynasties. This is a major reform of Chinese character form, which has played an important role in the history of Chinese character development, calligraphy and even art.
Lishu began in the late Qin Dynasty and early Han Dynasty. In the early Western Han Dynasty, official script inherited from Qin Dynasty, and seal script was a common form. By the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the transformation from seal script to official script was basically completed. During this period, the style and structure of official script showed diversity and irregularity. Some scribbles are close to Cao Zhang, while others vaguely see the omen of Beibei regular script.
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, with the prevalence of carving stones and setting up monuments, Lishu rose from a folk genre lacking artistry to an official style, which became the typical and development peak of Lishu in previous dynasties. In this period, the font of standardized official script was flat and square, paying attention to "silkworm head and goose tail" and "twists and turns", with obvious horizontal stroke characteristics.
Beautiful curves, smooth and rounded transition between light and heavy, show the rigidity and vitality of fonts, giving people a magnificent artistic impression. Han bamboo slips and inscriptions after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty are the main materials for studying Han Li. Han Li has many styles, such as dignified and straight, beautiful and elegant, square and simple, vigorous and simple.
The appearance of official script is an important historical turning point in the history of calligraphy. Lishu omitted the strokes of seal script, changed the circle into a square fold, and replaced the arc with a straight line, which greatly improved the writing speed. The change of official script has played an important role in the formation of cursive script and regular script, and it is a milestone in the history of Chinese character development.