Development of Chinese calligraphy: historical and cultural aspect

The culture of each nation is distinctive and is based on the unique worldview of a particular ethnic group. Chinese calligraphy is one of the significant manifestations of Chinese national tradition. The aim of the present study is to investigate it in the historical and cultural aspect due to the author’s desire to emphasize the specificity of Chinese national art and its historical conditionality in the context of globalizing modernity. Based on Eastern worldview practices, the art of hieroglyphic writing in China is a symbiosis of painting and philosophy. It is emphasized that having originated for practical purposes to convey information in writing, calligraphy gradually transformed into a full-fledged art form enriched with philosophical content. The author examines in detail the history of Chinese calligraphy development, noting its connection with the transformations in the society. Connectedness of hieroglyphic writing with the concepts of “yin” and “yang”, which are traditional in Chinese culture, is described. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that preserving the tradition of calligraphy plays an important role in securing Chinese national identity.