Day #105: Calligraphy

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Before I came to China, I had not known calligraphy was considered such an art form. Today I went to the Shanghai Museum, which has a section devoted to the history of calligraphy and examples of the various masters and the development of the form throughout history. It was surprisingly entertaining as the audioguide described how through the various dynasties what was considered perfect calligraphy changed as new masters came along and altered the artistic landscape, similar to the way painting developed in Western fine art. I saw ancient calligraphy variously described as "free and expressive", "like writing in capital letters in an email" and, my favourite, "the finest calligraphy of its time, but characters like a frog squashed under a rock".

Calligraphy remains a popular hobby in China. Beijing has a whole row of shops selling calligraphy materials and we have periodically seen calligraphy shops in all the places we have visited. Walking the streets I also regularly see people (usually older people) practising drawing characters in the street with a large brush and a small bucket of water to dip it in. The characters only last until they evaporate but a good artist can attract a small audience to watch him or her draw, some of whom will ask to have a go after him, so it becomes a social event.

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