Olejar Books

Chinese calligraphy is a unique visual art that can be appreciated even by those without knowledge of Chinese characters. Modern Chinese calligraphy consists of five styles: regular script (kaishu), semi-cursive script (xingshu), cursive script (caoshu), clerical script (lishu) and seal script (zhuansbu). The semi-cursive script is a practical style that emphasizes the transition and structure between strokes.
The Beginner's Guide to Chinese Calligraphy—An Introduction to Semi-Cursive Script (Xingshu) teaches how to write the practical and artistic semi-cursive script through the calligraphy work of Zhao Mengfu (1254 - 1322), the master of semi-cursive script. The exercise part of this book starts from the easy basic strokes to the combined strokes that are commonly used and then finally to the difficult calligraphy creation. It is also accompanied with an introduction to the history and art of Chinese calligraphy by means of famous calligraphy works from past generations. This guide, with step by step illustrations, reduces the difficulty for beginners to learn Chinese calligraphy and is truly a must for Chinese calligraphy amateurs.