Chinese calligraphy is a unique traditional visual art which has very long history. It is very similar to dance which includes the rhythm, flow, strength, breathing and balance when the artist accomplish one piece of calligraphy art work using brush on the Xuan paper or silk.

    The tools that are used for calligraphy is called "Four Treasures in the Study" (文房四宝)" which include Chinese brush, ink, paper and ink stone (笔墨纸砚). They are very important roles in the traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.

      
    There are five major styles of calligraphy:
            Zhuan shu (seal style): This is the oldest style which looks         solid and stable, and looks symmetric and tall.
            Li shu (clerical style): This style has flat appearance with wave-like horizontal lines.
            Kai shu (standard style): This is the most easily recognized style with each stoke clearly separated.
            Hsin shu (running style): This is style in between of the Kai shu and Tsao shu which has a consistent energetic flow. It looks smoother than Kai shu and not as difficult to recognize as Tsao shu.
            Tsao shu (cursive style): This style is like a abstract art. It is written in a fast way with dramatic brush turns.
            The following are the example for the character 春 (spring) in the above five styles.

   
    As it is said, “The way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them.”, the calligrapher is expected to demonstrate strength of personality, reflect the inner mind and emotions through the use of brush and ink. People can also enjoy the inner peace through practicing and writing calligraphy art work.