The Art of Chinese Calligraphy: A Brief History + Modern Chinese Calligraphy Services for Lunar New Year Events

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Today, when most of us think of calligraphy, we think about the flowing flourishes of the English language written with a fountain pen by a skilled calligrapher. It is often seen on wedding invitations, and it’s one of the things we remember most about founding documents, like the Declaration of Independence, even if we have long forgotten the words.

Western calligraphy is one form of decorative writing, but it isn’t the only one. Many cultures the world over have a rich history of elegantly written letters, words, and pictographs.

One of the oldest is Chinese calligraphy.

A Tradition Steeped in Time

Chinese calligraphy is one of the oldest forms of calligraphy, with the first scripts dating back to the Shang Dynasty 4,000-5,000 years ago—only Egyptian pictographs are older. The very first examples of Chinese calligraphy were written on things like tortoise shells and animal bones. Over the centuries, writers honed their craft, transitioning from sharp objects that carved into bone to flexible brushes made of animal hair around 300 BCE.

Calligraphers developed a method for preparing their own ink out of soot, glue, and other animal materials. Even preparing the ink for writing was a meticulous process. Traditional Chinese calligraphers wet an inkstone and grind their inkstick against it to achieve the perfect consistency before beginning.

There are five main Chinese calligraphy styles that include:

·         Seal script (zhuan shu 篆書): The earliest form of calligraphy is also the most similar to the original bone inscriptions with its symmetrical characters constructed from thin, sharp strokes.

·         Clerical script (li shu 隸書): Featuring distinctive, heavy-handed strokes, this formal script was originally developed by clerks and officials for record-keeping purposes.

·         Standard script (kai shu 楷書): A bit more legible than clerical script with the addition of different strokes, standard script was eventually adopted by the Chinese government and is still used regularly today.

·         Semi-cursive script (xing shu 行書): This script is written more smoothly and faster than standard script, giving it a handwritten quality while still being legible. It is the most widely used form of handwriting in China.

·         Cursive script (cao shu 草書): Sometimes referred to as running script (xing shu 行書), this form of calligraphy is the most artistic with rounded, angle-free lines. It's a popular choice with artists but can sometimes be challenging to read with its free-form shapes.

Chinese Calligraphy in the Modern World

Chinese calligraphy takes the written Chinese language and elevates it into an enduring art form that continues into the modern world. Calligraphy prints hang in restaurants and framed calligraphy artwork can be found in homes.

Although artists continue to experiment with new calligraphy styles, traditional Chinese calligraphy isn’t practiced as widely as it once was. Finding fluent speakers of Chinese outside of China is also a challenge that can have disastrous consequences. The internet is full of pictures of tattoos that are supposed to say something profound about life and friendship, but they actually mean something completely different instead.

Chinese calligraphy can be a wonderful way to honor millennia-old traditions, but only with Chinese calligraphy services from a knowledgeable and experienced artist. Here at Inkscripted, our head Chinese calligrapher with decades of experience creatively expressing the Chinese language through the artistic strokes of a calligraphy brush. Our team’s Chinese Calligraphy is somewhere in between Standard and semi-cursive script. We proudly offer Chinese calligraphy services, and one of our favorite times of year to offer our customization services is the Lunar New Year.

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year is a celebration of the beginning of the new year according to the lunisolar calendar. Signs, tapestries, pamphlets, lanterns, and more can all be decorated with custom Chinese calligraphy.

It can be an especially powerful time of year to host a brand event. For the 2024 Lunar New Year, Inkscripted had the privilege of customizing red envelopes with messages of good luck and fortune for Diptyque at the Westfield Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara. Hand brushed in stunning gold ink, attendees were able to take home a decorative piece of Chinese calligraphy artwork to ring in the Lunar New Year.

Elevate Your Next Event With Chinese Calligraphy Services

A Chinese calligraphy customization is the perfect way to celebrate the Lunar New Year, but you can elevate so many other types of events with stunning Chinese calligraphy services!

A Chinese calligraphy brand activation is one of our favorites. If your brand has ties to Chinese culture, customizing items with Chinese calligraphy can be an unforgettable way to release a new product or service. Grand openings can be enhanced with hand-brushed keepsakes, while personalized letters can be a meaningful way to thank investors, employees, and others who supported the launch of your latest product.

Chinese calligraphy services are also a lovely way to celebrate personal milestones, especially if you’re celebrating with others. For example, in-person Chinese calligraphy services can be a fun and immersive activity for guests at your wedding. A skilled Chinese calligrapher can customize favors and other items right before their very eyes. Not only is it an unforgettable experience, but your guests go home at the end of the night with a gift they actually want to keep.

Nothing compares to watching a master Chinese calligrapher work their magic in person, but gifts that are brushed with Chinese calligraphy make lovely thank-yous. Think commercial holiday gifts, investor gifts, and client gifts. Chinese calligraphy invitations can set the tone for your upcoming event, while simple thank you notes are more meaningful when they feature custom Chinese calligraphy.

Choosing a skilled calligrapher is important when crafting an event that’s memorable for all the right reasons. You want to choose a calligrapher who is fluent in Chinese and has experience turning simple brush strokes into works of art.

Inkscripted's head Chinese calligrapher, Byron, has been practicing Chinese Calligraphy for over 30 years and is a student of famous Chinese brush painter Qi Bai Shi’s technique. No matter what kind of event or what item you want to personalize, we can create heirloom-worthy gifts for that will be treasured for years to come. Contact us to get started today!