Calligraphy is the quintessence of Chinese culture.When the ancient Orientals carved the earliest abstract symbols on the walls of their cave housese,and on animal bones and tortoise shells,their symbolic action marked the beginning of the Chinese wirtten language and civilization.At the same time,it indiccated the beginning of the splendor of Chinese calligraphy.Why has Chinese calligraphy been able to survive several thousand years?How could it become a rare art independent of its functions for writing and record-ing events?what kind of close relations has it developed with the aesthetic standards,value concepts and cultural spirit of the chinese people?How can we enter into this mysterious black-and-white art world?

　　Chinese Calligraphy introduces the origin,forms and de-velopment of Chinese calligraphy,and the various kinds of calligraphic styles and principles in a straightforward way,the author,Mr.Chen Tingyou,has devoted himself to research into the esthetics of Chinese calligraphy.In this book,he fo-cuses onintroducing representative calligraphers from the four important historical periods of the Jin,Tang,Song and Qing Dynaties-Wang Xizhi,Wang Xianzhi,Chu Suiliang,Yan Zhenqing,Su Shi,Huang Tingjian,Mi Fu and Kang Youwei.He maintains that the reforms these famous cal-ligraphers proposed and carried out contributed greatly to the continuous development of Chinese calligraphy.

　　The book is published in Chinese,English,Japanese,Rus-sian,French,German and Spanish versions.全書為德文。