The Mongols ruled China for less than 100 years. In 1368 a rebel leader became the emperor of China. His dynasty, the Ming, lasted for just over 300 years.

The style to officialdom.   Two years after its founding, the Ming restored and improved imperial examination by prescribing eight-part essay which was notorious for its restricted subject matter and rigid literary format. The idea of eight-part essay suppressed all other kinds of learning. In handwriting, it brought forth a style in which artistic expression gave way to the impression of a trained hand. The techniques accuracy was stressed, but great attention was given to produce a sharp, meticulous and clean print. Lead by the Imperial Academy, a cluster of sample calligraphers, and practiced in the classrooms across the country, this style, known as Official Style, remained essentially unaltered till the civil service system was abolished in 1905.

Write to trade.   Not all those who were talented could pass the imperial examination to be a civil servant. However, the brisk commodity economy, in which the capitalist sector was gradually identified with Western civilization, afforded troubled candidates the market to trade. Quite many painters and calligraphers, known as Wu School, sprang up in Suzhou, Wu in abbreviation, the national commerce center. Mixed with the taste of bourgeois, scholarly practice of Song master-calligraphers was taken up to challenge Official Style.

I'm having a vacation in the countryside, leaving worldly trifles behind. The house is old; the gate is guarded by a dog; the courtyard is shaded by pines; a crow is cawing in distance.