Editing Chinese art (section)

==== Calligraphy ====
In ancient China, painting and [[calligraphy]] were the most highly appreciated arts in court circles and were produced almost exclusively by amateurs, aristocrats and scholar-officials who alone had the leisure to perfect the technique and sensibility necessary for great brushwork. Calligraphy was thought to be the highest and purest form of painting. The implements were the brush, made of animal hair, and black ink made from pine soot and animal glue. Writing as well as painting was done on silk. But after the invention of paper in the 1st century, silk was gradually replaced by the new and cheaper material. Original writings by famous calligraphers have been greatly valued throughout China's history and are mounted on scrolls and hung on walls in the same way that paintings are.

[[Wang Xizhi]] was a famous Chinese calligrapher who lived in the 4th century AD. His most famous work is the ''[[Lanting Xu]]'', the preface to a collection of poems. The script was often celebrated as the high point of the [[Semi-cursive script|semi-cursive]] "Running Style" in the history of Chinese calligraphy.

[[Wei Shuo]] was a well-known calligrapher of the [[Eastern Jin dynasty]] who established consequential rules about the [[regular script]]. Her well-known works include ''Famous Concubine Inscription'' (名姬帖 Ming Ji Tie) and ''The Inscription of Wei-shi He'nan'' (衛氏和南帖 Wei-shi He'nan Tie).