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Calligraphy
Calligraphy has traditionally been regarded in China as the highest form of art. In the past, children were trained at a very early age to write beautifully, and as it is said that "Calligraphy expresses the man", good calligraphy was a social asset. A scholar, for example, could not pass his examination to become an official if he was a poor calligrapher. A person's character was judged by their handwriting; if it was elegant it revealed great refinement.
The origin of calligraphy dates back to the time when human being begun to have letters and record information with letters. In ancient China, letters were carved on bone, tortoise shell, and copper wave at first. And then, the technique to write letters with writing brush and ink was invented. And with that, calligraphy also developed from some school. And in the Later Hun period (25-220), it reached to the artistic realm and established the way of "calligraphy".
The basic tools for calligraphy include paper, ink, ink-stone (on which the ink is mixed) and a brush. These are commonly referred to as the 'four treasures of the scholar's study'. All over China, decorative calligraphy can be found in temples, adorning the walls of caves and on the sides of mountains and monuments.
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