To meet the need for recording information and ideas, unique forms of calligraphy (the art of writing) originated and developed from China, specifically from the writing of Chinese characters using brush and ink. Calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. These include China, Japan, Korea, and to a lesser extent, Vietnam. Naturally finding applications in daily life, calligraphy still serves as a continuous link between the past and the present. Chinese calligraphy is considered supreme among the visual arts in China, and it also sets the standard by which Chinese painting is judged. In addition, calligraphy has also led to the development of many other forms of arts in East Asia, including seal carving, ornate paperweights, and inkstones.

The periods of Qin (221–206 BC), Han (206 BC–AD 220), Three Kingdoms (220–280), and Jin (265–420) represent a crucial era in the history of Chinese calligraphy. On one hand, diverse forms of brushed and engraved “ancient writing” and “large seal” scripts were unified into a standard type known as “small seal (小篆).”

On the other hand, the process of abbreviating and adapting seal script to form a new one known as “clerical script (隸書)” (emerging previously in the Eastern Zhou dynasty) was finalized, thereby creating a universal script in the Han dynasty.

In the trend towards abbreviation and brevity in writing, clerical script continued to evolve and eventually led to the formation of “cursive (草書),” “running or semi-cursive (行書),” and “standard or regular (楷書)” scripts. Since changes in writing did not take place overnight, several transitional styles and mixed scripts appeared in the chaotic post-Han period, but these transformations eventually led to established forms for brush strokes and characters.

The most famous Chinese calligrapher of all time is from this era—Wang Xizhi (王羲之, 303–361). His son Wang Xianzhi (王獻之, 344–386) and nephew Wang Xun (王珣, 350–401) were also very notable calligraphers.