Calligraphy, with distinctive script styles including the seal, clerical, regular, running and cursive, is a traditional art form that has been prized above all others by the Chinese literati for centuries. In "The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy", by introducing historical masterpieces, we hope to give you a glimpse of how the functionality of handwriting was elevated to aesthetics heights in a culture devoted to the power of words.
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00:00Hello there everyone, and welcome to the show The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy.
00:30Let's meet our guests, who will help us unlock the mysteries of calligraphy.
00:36Central Academy of Fine Arts Professor Qiu Zhenzong
00:40Minzu University of China's Professor Ming Man
00:44Vice President of the China Calligraphers Association Ye Peigui
00:50In keeping with the show's theme, we've invited our 30 contestants here today
00:55to send the audience a message of greeting through calligraphy.
01:25The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy
01:56The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy
02:07Throughout the ages, calligraphers have recorded the times with their brushes,
02:11passing down culture with calligraphy.
02:13They have created a vast number of masterpieces over the centuries.
02:18In 221 BC, Emperor Qishuohuang unified China,
02:22setting standards for transportation and written language.
02:25The following performance tells the story of the inscribed stone of Mount Tai.
02:53The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy
03:11The Lord is here.
03:14The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy
03:19I've heard you are the finest stonemason in Shandong.
03:25My lord, you flatter me. You flatter me.
03:31Come with me.
03:45The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy
03:50Have you ever inscribed text?
03:52Inscribed text?
03:55Carve characters onto stone.
03:58Ah, I see. Carving words onto a mountainside.
04:04Is nothing new to me. Nothing new.
04:07This time is different.
04:15The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy
04:17This towering boulder seems to pierce the clouds.
04:22These characters...
04:24This is the new script ordained by Emperor Qishuohuang.
04:27It was devised by Li Si.
04:32These characters are much simpler than those we use in Shandong.
04:38They look classic and solid.
04:41Majestic and dignified.
04:44Elegant and solemn.
04:50True.
04:51The seven kingdoms each had their own script to work with.
04:55Making diplomacy, trade and communication difficult.
05:00Now the state has been unified.
05:03We need a uniform written language.
05:08Excellent. This will make things so much easier.
05:12Please.
05:38According to historical records,
05:40over 200 characters were carved in small seal script
05:43on the stone boulder that stood at the summit of Mount Tai.
05:47It became known as the inscribed stone on Mount Tai.
05:53Small seal script, along with large seal script,
05:56which was in use prior to the Qin Dynasty,
05:59are together known as the seal script.
06:03Seal script is regarded as the root of Chinese characters
06:07and all Chinese calligraphy styles.
06:19The inscribed stone on Mount Tai
06:22represents the first time a unified standard script
06:25was adopted at state level in China.
06:28This standardized script had a major impact
06:31on promoting state laws and codes,
06:34as well as on the evolution of writing.
06:37This work dates back from the time of China's first great unification.
06:41Uniform standards were introduced
06:43for the language and transport ethics and values,
06:46currency and weights and measures.
06:49All of these helped to effectively bind the country together.
06:56Whenever we see Chinese characters,
06:59no matter where they are or who wrote them,
07:02we should remind ourselves of how they were unified
07:05as small seal script in the Qin Dynasty,
07:08as seen on the inscribed stone on Mount Tai.
07:11Records state that 7 such stones were inscribed on the emperor's order,
07:15but only 2 are still in existence.
07:18Part of the inscribed stone on Langya Terrace survives.
07:22Then there's the inscribed stone on Mount Tai.
07:25However, there are only 9.5 characters that are still legible.
07:29This means that they are priceless and extremely rare.
07:33The inscribed stone on Mount Tai
07:36originally comprised 144 characters,
07:39stating edicts issued by Emperor Qin Shi Huang,
07:43and 78 characters stating edicts issued by his son.
07:47Today, over 2,000 years later,
07:50only 9.5 characters are still legible.
07:53The stone tablet is kept at the Dai Temple in Tai'an, Shandong Province.
07:58As the time and years go by,
08:00calligraphers have afforded it iconic status.
08:03In the 1980s, after 20 years of meticulous research
08:07and complex verification on his part,
08:09calligrapher and epigraphist Zhu Fu Kan
08:12succeeded in reproducing the full text with all characters.
08:16This made it possible for us to read this classic calligraphy work in its entirety.
08:22So how should we appreciate the unique charm of Small Seal script today?
08:28Its beauty is reflected in two fundamental ways.
08:31The first is through balance.
08:34The spatial distribution in the characters is perfectly balanced
08:39without any dramatic changes in size or form.
08:43So they evoke a sense of elegance and solemnity.
08:46Second, the structure is always symmetrical,
08:50creating a sense of order.
08:53This laid the foundation for the composition of Chinese characters
08:58that paved the way for the eras to come.
09:01Up next, we'll delve deeper into Chinese Small Seal script,
09:05so let's move on to the next round, the Master's Thumbs Up.
09:09In this round, the 30 contestants will take part in a calligraphy quiz
09:13and answer two questions.
09:15For every right answer,
09:17they will be awarded a Thumbs Up stamp on their screens
09:20designed especially for this program.
09:22The characters on the stamps are taken from classical works of Chinese calligraphy.
09:37Here's the first question.
09:38This picture shows the character Tian, meaning sky,
09:41written in the Small Seal script.
09:43Which one is the same character in Oracle Bone's script?
09:48You can start now.
09:58Time's up, and the correct answer is...
10:02B.
10:04How many of you got it right?
10:1419 contestants got the correct answer,
10:16and Master's Thumb Up, nice stamp for you.
10:20Professor Ye, what do you think of the stamp?
10:23It's exquisite.
10:24This character is written in Qing Dynasty Small Seal script.
10:28It's very exquisitely done.
10:30It's from the inscribed stone on Mount Yi, right?
10:36Yes, you're right. It is very nice.
10:38Thank you, thank you so much.
10:41Let's get to know all three of these Chinese characters.
10:44The one in the middle, as we said just now, is the correct answer, Tian.
10:49Then what Chinese character is option A?
10:52Da.
10:53It's Da, meaning big, right?
10:55That's correct.
10:56And what about option C?
10:59It's a little difficult.
11:02Mr. Ye?
11:04It's Li, meaning to stand upright.
11:09Taking a closer look at these three pictures,
11:11we can see that they all look like a person standing.
11:15However, the arms and legs are in subtly different positions.
11:18Actually, this explains the two principles
11:21of how Chinese characters became the art of calligraphy.
11:26First of all, the brushwork in Chinese calligraphy
11:29should be highly expressive and articulate.
11:31Second, the structure and form of characters
11:33should be expressive in their composition.
11:36The brushwork and structure are the two fundamental elements
11:42which form the basis of Chinese calligraphy.
11:46Okay, so let's move on to the next round,
11:49an interactive question and answer session.
11:51We'll pick two lucky contestants to join us
11:53as we test their knowledge on seal script.
11:55The lady in the green in the front row,
11:57Hallo, please tell us about yourself.
11:59Hello, Longyang, dear guests and fellow contestants.
12:02I'm Wang Yitong, and I'm from Beijing.
12:04I'm currently a university lecturer.
12:06Here's the question.
12:10The three characters on the left are written in seal script,
12:14and on the right are nine modern Chinese characters.
12:18Please match the ones on the right with the seal script on the left.
12:22You may start now.
12:24The first one is yi,
12:27the second one is jie,
12:30and the third one is nian.
12:32Are you sure? Yes, I am.
12:34Okay, let's see if those are the correct answers.
12:39All correct! Congratulations, you didn't even hesitate.
12:44Would you say that you are very familiar with the seal script, Wang Yitong?
12:48Yes, I'm a fan of Chinese seal script. I really like it.
12:52I've carved a lot of seal script stamps myself.
12:55I carry some of them with me wherever I go in case someone wants to see them.
12:59They look something like this.
13:03Wow, that looks very professional.
13:06I've carved over 1,000 of them so far.
13:09Over 1,000, that's a lot of work.
13:11Well done, that's amazing.
13:13I'll always see myself as a beginner at Chinese calligraphy,
13:16but it's an art I'll always love.
13:21Let's go to our second lucky contestant.
13:24He's in the second row. Introduce yourself.
13:27Hello, everyone. I'm Li Jiao.
13:29I study at Beijing Normal University.
13:31Here's the question.
13:32The first character is zai, meaning be.
13:34The second one is er, meaning and.
13:37And the third is mo, meaning no.
13:40Are you sure about the third one?
13:42Yes, I'm sure.
13:44Okay then, let's see the correct answers.
13:52Congratulations, you got them all right.
13:57You seem to love seal script and know a lot about it, right?
14:00Yes, it was the first calligraphy style that I learned as a child growing up.
14:05It really helped me in understanding the evolution of Chinese characters better.
14:09It also helped me with learning and improving other styles of Chinese calligraphy.
14:14Thank you. Please take a seat.
14:17Professor Tu, is it true that people who want to learn calligraphy
14:21should start with seal script before any other script?
14:24Yes, you're absolutely right.
14:26Anyone who studies Chinese calligraphy must at least learn some basic grammatology.
14:31This includes two important principles by which the characters are formed
14:36and how small seal script is written.
14:39I'd like to encourage everyone to learn some small seal script.
14:43It is beneficial.
14:44It's not as difficult as you might think once you've identified the patterns.
14:48There are only a hundred or so frequently used radicals.
14:51Once you've learned these radicals,
14:53you'll be able to recognize all the Chinese characters composed of them.
14:57It's all about identifying the patterns.
14:59And guess how long that will take?
15:01I'd say a week.
15:04Not what you'd expect to hear, right?
15:06The figures Professor Tu have given us are very useful.
15:09He's encouraging us all to start learning calligraphy.
15:12As long as you've got the desire, it's never too late to start studying calligraphy.
15:17Right.
15:20Welcome back, everyone.
15:21Now the next round is copying calligraphy.
15:23You'll be copying from a masterpiece, the inscribed stone on Mount Yi.
15:51Do you have any tips for writing small seal script?
16:14The strokes are quite simple, especially the horizontal ones.
16:18Just maintain the height of the brush and keep it steady.
16:21The S-stroke is a bit tricky.
16:24I've noticed that some people don't use their wrists to control the S-stroke.
16:30Once you've learned how to use the strength of your wrists,
16:33you'll be able to write better S-strokes.
16:35The tip of a writing brush is tapered.
16:37But in the inscribed stone on Mount Yi,
16:39we can see that the lines are consistent in their width from start to finish.
16:46When you write, you'll find that the head and tail of the strokes are the most difficult to write.
16:52The trick lies in where the brush tip starts and finishes.
16:57When you write a curve, the tip of the brush may be deflected while turning,
17:02and this will alter the thickness of the stroke.
17:06Only by controlling the turn can you write strokes with an even thickness
17:11from the start to the finish of a character.
17:14We can see they are trying their best to overcome this most challenging difficulty
17:18in writing Chinese small seal script.
17:21Writing requires a great deal of inner tranquility.
17:25It seems the moment they pick up a brush, they're entering a state of tranquility.
17:30I'm reminded of a remark by the Northern Song philosopher Cheng Hao.
17:35I write with respect, not to get better at writing, but for self-cultivation.
17:40It's a nice way to look at it.
17:42If you write with a sense of solemnity and seriousness, you'll find inner peace.
17:47I think that's what philosopher Cheng Hao meant.
17:50It's like being in a realm of emptiness and clarity.
17:53If you're fully absorbed in your writing, you'll feel tranquil and you'll lose track of time.
18:03Most of our contestants have finished their pieces.
18:06Let's have a look at some footage of them writing the characters
18:09and hear what our guests have to say about it.
18:13We can see on the screen that the writer has very solid, basic skills.
18:18He uses the brush skillfully and delicately.
18:21This expresses the end result he has envisioned in his mind.
18:25He's leading the brush. I think he's very good.
18:28The way he applies the brush is basically correct.
18:31He should write with more stability and keep his arm higher.
18:35Mr. Ya, can you guess what this contestant looks like based on their writing?
18:39Male or female? Young or old?
18:41I think he must be a handsome young man.
18:45Let's find out who it is and see if that's the case.
18:51Oh wow, he really is a handsome young man.
18:54I actually got it right. Okay.
18:57I'm Zhaoming Yu, a first-year student of Chinese painting and calligraphy at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
19:03Now I know that when I write, I need to have better control over how my brush tip turns.
19:09Thank you for your encouragement. I'll keep working hard.
19:13Thank you. Please take your seat.
19:15Let's take a look at our contestants' copying results.
19:33You've been watching The Tao of Chinese Calligraphy,
19:46a show dedicated to showcasing masterpieces from the history of Chinese calligraphy.
19:51Join us again next time.