Essays on Chinese Calligraphy
Southern and Northern Schools (Extract)
By Ruan Yuan
Tangled styles down the ages can be put in order according to their roots. Regular, semi-cursive and cursive script all evolved from clerical script around the period of Han, Three Kingdoms, and Jin dynasty. In their two schools1 formed later, Southern School refers to the styles of Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties, and Northern School refers to the styles of the Northern Dynasties and Sui dynasty. Southern School consisted of Zhong You, Wei Ji, Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Wang Sengqian, Zhi Yong, and Yu Shinan; Northern School consisted of Zhong You, Wei Ji, Suo Jing, Cui Yue, Lu Zhan, Gao Zong, Seng Fu, Yao Yuanbiao, Zhao Wensheng, Ding Daohu, Ouyang Xun, and Chu Suiliang.
Southern School was not noticeable in Sui dynasty, however, it began to be in fashion during the years of Zhen-guan2. Meanwhile, the style of Northern School masters like Ouyang Xun and Chu Suiliang continued to influence stone inscriptions to the end Tang dynasty. Southern School was popular in south of Hui River. Beautiful and elegant, its style was fit for writing on paper, and the characters in its writing were often illegible because of reduced strokes. As to seal and clerical script, the Eastern Jin dynasty alone saw a good deal of revision, not to mention the Southern Dynasties. In the meantime, Northern School maintained ancient tradition. Restrained and clumsy, its style was fit for stone inscription. As to seal, clerical, and cursive script, the tradition of Cai Yong, Wei Dan, Handan Chun, Wei Ji, Zhang Zhi, and Du Du was retained until the beginning of Tang dynasty.
These two schools were markedly different, because aristocrats from neither side exchanged with the other. Emperor Tai-zong was exclusively keen on Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and his keenness extended to Wang's lineal disciple Yu Shinan. From this point the styles of Wang Xizhi and his later generations became popular in both south and north. Though the style of Wang Xizhi was prevalent, what practiced among the masses was still the script of Northern School, because it was not easy to obtain silk and paper. Norther School eventually faded away when 'Copybook of Chunhua' prevailed over stone steles in Song dynasty.
Northern School
Southern School
- Zhen-guan, the title of the second Tang emperor Tai-zong's reign.
About the author
Ruan Yuan (1764 - 1849)
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ink on colored rice paper
Yuan Yuan was a learned scholar accomplished in many fields like Confucian classics, literature, history, math, and critical interpretation of ancient texts. At the time when graceful style of Wang Xizhi was still in vogue, his bold inference of two Chinese calligraphy schools triggered the rise of stone inscription study which eventually lead to the revival of the art in late Qing dynasty.
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