China's calligraphy is a unique art of Asian culture. Calligraphy, painting, piano and chess are the four basic skills and accomplishments of China literati.
As the most abstract and sublime art form in China culture, "calligraphy" is usually considered as the best way to show a person's personality. In the imperial era, calligraphy was used as an important criterion for selecting court officials. Different from other visual arts skills, all calligraphy strokes are permanent and unchangeable, which requires careful planning and confident execution. This is a skill that an executive needs. Although one has to follow the established structure of words, the expression can be very creative. It is also a virtue to exercise humanistic imagination and touch under unknown laws and regulations.
By controlling the concentration of ink, the thickness and absorbability of paper, and the flexibility of brush, artists can freely create various styles and forms. Different from western calligraphy, loose ink and dry brush strokes are regarded as a natural improvisation, not a defect. Although western calligraphy usually pursues the unity of fonts, the homogeneity of the same font is only a process. For artists, calligraphy is a kind of mental training, which coordinates the brain and body to choose the best style to express the content of the article. This is the most relaxing but highly self-disciplined exercise, which is good for one's physical and mental health. Historically, many calligraphy artists are famous for their longevity.
Brush calligraphy is not only loved and practiced by China people. Koreans and Japanese alike worship calligraphy, which is regarded as an important wealth of their tradition. Many Japanese schools still have the tradition of holding competitions for students to write Chinese characters at the beginning of the new school year. Wang Zhi (the most famous calligrapher in Jin Dynasty in China) held a commemorative party in Japan every two years. Another is the Best Calligraphy Artist Award awarded by the state. Not long ago, Korean government officials were asked to be good at calligraphy. The Governor's Office of Okinawa Prefecture still displays the large screen of China's calligraphy as the main decoration.
In the west, Picasso and Matisse are two artists who openly claim that China's calligraphy has influenced their works.