Chinese calligraphy originated around 1800 BC with the earliest forms being pictographs found on oracle bones. Calligraphy evolved through the bronze script era where inscriptions were made on cast bronze objects from 1100 BC. Paper was invented in AD 105 by Cai Lun, allowing writing to be done on a portable surface rather than bamboo strips. Chinese calligraphy is distinguished by its emphasis on the structure, stroke, and precise control of the brush which has been refined over 2000 years of practice in regular script styles. Seals known as "chops" were also developed for leaving personalized stamped impressions.

1. THE ASIAN CONTRIBUTION

2. CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY
• Similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mayan
• Not alphabetical
• Every symbol composed of a number of
differently shaped lines within in imaginary
• First written 1800b.c by Tsang Cheh
• Invent writing by contemplating the claw
marks of birds and footprints of animals
• Elementary pictographs of things in nature.

3. • Sound of mouth to the ear
• The earliest known Chinese writing is called
chiaku-wen or “bone and see shell”
• Used from 1800 to 1200 b.c
• Found on tortoise shells and large animals flat
shoulder bones called oracle bones, which
convey communications between the living
and the dead

4. Bone and shell
bones shell

5. • Chinese calligraphy called chin-wen or bronze
script
• Inscriptions on cast-bronze objects, including
food water vessels, musical instruments,
weapons mirrors and coins.
• Ceremonial vessels used to hold food offerings
during ancestor worship and vessels inscribed
with dedications.

6. Four handled vessel with chin – wen or bronze script, inscription, 11th century b.c
Bold, regular strokes of eight – line dedication which itself forms a rectangle in th
e vessel’s bottom.

7. The actual size and detail from a Chinese poem is an excellent example of chen
shu regular style calligraphy. Two signature seals at the lower left chops.

8. INVENTION OF PAPER
• Ts ‘sai Lun who invented paper during the
emperor Ho in a.d 105.
• Earlier wrote on bamboo strips using bamboo
pen with a dense of durable ink.
• Lampblack was collected, mixed with a gum
solution using mortar and pestle or cube was
returned to the liquid state by rubbing it in
water on an inking stone.

9. • Chinese calligraphy is known as chen shu also
kai-shu or regular style.
• Made continuously 2000 years
• Regular style every line, dot, and nuance of
the brush can be controlled by sensitivity of
the calligrapher.
• Structure, stroke, composition, shape stroke
thickness and relationships of strokes to each
other and to the white space.

10. Lampblack Gum Solution Mortar
Black cube

11. PAPER MAKING
• Ts’Lun’s process papermaking continued and mechanized in
19th century in england.
• Natural fibers, including mullberry bark, hemp fishnets, and
rags, were soaked in a vat of water and beaten into pulp
with pounding mortars.
• A vat-man dipped a screen – bottomed, framelike mold into
the pulp solution
• Taking just enough onto the mold for the sheet of paper.
• With skill and split – second judgement, the vat – man
raised the mold from the vat while oscillating and shaking it
to cros and mesh the fibers. As the water drained
• The paper was pressed onto a wo0den cloth, while it dries.
• The crounched are staked and pressed hung to dry.

13. SEAL CHOP
• During Dynasty Han third century a.d seals called
chops
• Made by carving calligraphic characters into a flat
surface of jade, silver, gold or ivory.
• Uses ink such as red pastelike to form an
impression
• Now known as rubberstamp
• Around 500 a.d chops came into use upon which
the artisan had cut away the negative area
surrounding to be printed in red surrounded by
white paper.