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Course: Art of Asia > Unit 2
Lesson 1: A beginner's guide to Imperial China- Introduction to China
- Imperial China, an introduction
- Archaeology and the study of ancient China
- Discoveries in Chinese archaeology
- Buddhist Temples at Wutaishan
- Chinese calligraphy, an introduction
- Decoding Chinese calligraphy
- Appreciating Chinese calligraphy
- Ascending the Heron Tower written in cursive script
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Ascending the Heron Tower written in cursive script
Master Chinese calligrapher Cai Xingyi writes the poem Ascending the Heron Tower by Poet Wang Zhihuan (688–742) in cursive script.
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The calligraphy consists of columns and moves from right to left. Is each column a phrase, or a thought, or a convenient division of the characters? What was the very complicated character/composition of characters at the end?(7 votes)
Because the first books of Chinese were printed in the bamboo, so they write on the columns.(1 vote)
- I just wanted to say: do you ever see those long banners or paintings that are hung up in museums and historical places. Do you ever think how difficult it would be to write that and then have a mistake and have to do the whole scroll all over again. that would be frustrating.(2 votes)
Yes, of course. It takes a lot of time to write something like that. Once in class, we practiced TWO words for more than half an hour.(4 votes)
why is he holding the brush the wrong way?(2 votes)
He isn't... You might be confusing the brush. On the opposite end of the brush part, there is a little string thing that you can use to hang on a hook to protect the hairs of the brush.(2 votes)
Why it gotta say asian on the first 4 seconds(2 votes)
At0:48, it says who Cai Xingyi is as he's writing cursive script, Is he writing the text to the left that is explaining who he is?(1 vote)
how long does it take to perfect this(1 vote)- To learn to write in Chinese is a matter of a few months' work. To learn cursive script and calligraphy is a matter of a lifetime's devotion.(1 vote)
0:48