Calligraphy During the Three Kingdoms Period and Jin Dynasty

1.1 The Wei Period (220-265) · 1.2 Jin Dynasty (Western Jin 265-316/317, Eastern Jin 317-420) · 2.1 Madame Wei (卫夫人/衞夫人) · 2.2 Wang Xizhi (王羲之) · 1.1 露锋/ ... Skiptocontent IncreaseFontSize Thischapterrevealsthat,regardlessofpoliticalandcivildisorder,devotiontocalligraphypersevered.Itincludesdetailsonclericalandregular,orstandard,script. PartI.Culture 1HistoricalHighlights 1.1TheWeiPeriod(220-265) TheThreeKingdomsPeriod(三国/三國/sānguó)includedthreedistinctivestates:theWei(魏/wèi),theShu(蜀/shŭ),andtheWu(吴/呉/wú).Amongthem,scholarsoftheartofcalligraphyconsidertheWeitohaveplayedthemostprominentrole.Attheonsetofthe Wei,clericalstyle(隶书/隸書/lìshū)wasstillinuse–aformfollowedbysuchnoteworthycalligraphersasZhongYou(钟繇/锺繇),WeiGuan(卫琯/衞瓘),HuangXiang(皇象),HandanChun(邯郸淳/邯鄲淳),SuoJing(索靖),andLiuDesheng(刘德升/劉德昇),amongothers. ThemostcelebratedwasZhongYou(钟繇/锺繇/zhōngyóu)(151-230)who,itissaid,createdregularorstandardscript(楷书/楷書/kǎishū).ThiscameintousetowardtheendoftheHan andmaturedintheTang.Beginnerstendtostudyregularscriptfirstbecauseofeasy-to-recognizecharactersthatdatefromthisera.Zhong’scalligraphywascomparedtoa“swanflyinginthesky”anda“wildgooseplayinginthelake.”EmperorLiangWuDiwassostruckbyZhong’sgeniusthathesaidthecalligraphyreflected“12kindsofbeauty.” 1.2JinDynasty(WesternJin265-316/317,EasternJin317-420) TwodistinctperiodscharacterizetheJin (晋/晉/jìn): theWesternJin(西晋/西晉/xī jìn),ruling China from 265to316/317AD,andtheEasternJin(东晋/東晉/dōngjìn),from 317to420AD.AlthoughChinawasreunitedunderthe Westernin280,itfellintocivilwarandwasopentoinvasionshortlythereafter.Thiseventuallyledtothe seconddivision – the