Chinese calligraphy is an ancient art which supported, recorded and glorified 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. The unique beauty of this art goes beyond the conventional definitions of handwriting. It is an expressive medium of art in which strokes, structure, and presentation of writing are imbued with life and rhythm. Although there is no sound, it pulsates with the rhythm of music. Although there are no dancers, it dazzles with the movement of dance. Indeed, the “dance of ink and brush” of Chinese calligraphy inspired Islamic calligraphers who invented their own gorgeous tradition of Arabic script. And as the following exhibits show, it’s a tradition that is still kept alive by contemporary artists.

This calligraphy employs a script as ancient as the poem it depicts. The poem consists of four lines with seven characters in each line. The poet indulges in a reverie over his meteoric rise to high officialdom at an early age, coinciding with the appearance of a full autumn moon. Good fortune continues to smile on him since his assignment to Sichuan. His blissful mood enhances his appreciation of the autumn moon that revisits him every hear, and he finds life sweet among the beautiful flowers and good friends he meets everywhere. The calligraphy is rendered in the ‘oracle bone script’ (Jiaguwen) by the Rev. Songnian who was a highly respected exponent of ancient Chinese writings and an accomplished calligrapher. Jiaguwen refers to words engraved on turtle shells and animal bones from the Shang dynasty period (1766 – 1122 BC). Scholars have traced the early roots of modern Chinese to this script which was used during the Shang era to record important events such as ancestral worship by the imperial family, divination results of natural disasters and harvests, as well as hunting trips and wars. Jiaguwen gradually evolved from single pictographic representations to composite forms.

This couplet expresses the calligrapher’s sentiments that “one must find a wine connoisseur to share a drink with. In decorum, one enjoys genuine feeling of friendship”. Completed at the age of 74 by the China-born, Singapore-based calligrapher Wang Sui Pick (1904 – 1998), this work of cursive script was rapidly executed in one single breath using a rather dry brush. In some parts, the brush seemed to fly across the paper with such speed of movement that strokes appear partially invisible, thus acquiring the name feibai, or “flying white”. The overall effect is robust and mercurial.

This calligraphy, also by Wang Sui Pick, was not executed with a brush but with the finger instead, a practice that goes back to the Qing dynasty in the 18th century. While the brush is supple and highly versatile, the finger is stiff and less effective in achieving the angular strokes and curves of Chinese characters. It is therefore more successfully used in writing the cursive script as here. The poem in the calligraphy translates as:

My home is located along the Mengjin River (in Henan)
with the door facing the river mouth.
Often, boats from Jiangnan would sail up here.
Will they bring me any letters from afar?

This lively calligraphy, written in the cursive script, is set to a poem by the renowned Tang dynasty poet, Wang Changlin (? – circa 756). The poem Chu Sai (‘Journey to the Frontier’) is hailed as a masterpiece of Tang dynasty poetry. It reads:

The moon of the Qin times still shines over the Han mountain passes.
Few men return from their faraway expeditions.
If the Flying General were still here giving commands,
No horse would dare to cross the Yin mountains.

The first line provides the setting to the poem. The reader is transported to the Qin dynasty (221 – 206 BC) when the Great Wall was built to defend against the northern invading tribes, and the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) when battles against the invading tribes were fought. For generations since these dynasties, the Han Chinese people endured the tragedy of seeing those who journeyed far to join the war and never return. The common wish of the masses was to have good fortifications and good warriors so that the invading barbarians would never cross into mainland China.
Rev Songnian (1911 – 1977), the calligrapher, was a highly respected exponent of ancient writing and the historical development of Chinese characters. He was also an accomplished calligrapher who specialized in oracle bone and seal scripts that date to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In this work, he employs fluid strokes to express the lyrical interplay of brush and in a way that literally sets poetry in motion. Viewing this calligraphy, we are treated twice over by the resplendence of the calligraphy and the splendour of Tang poetry.

Calligraphy, even when executed with one character, is poetry is motion, like this scroll by the Rev. Songnian where the auspicious Chinese character Shou (longevity) is rendered in large cursive script. Big characters are harder to execute than small ones. The calligrapher must grip the shaft of the brush with his whole palm with thumb facing downwards to ensure the brush is held upright. In the course of writing, the calligrapher’s body must synchronize with the movement of his shoulder and elbow, and the character must be executed according to plan. Not all calligraphers have the physical requisites to master this demanding style.