Selection of Fine Dunhuang Calligraphy (1) The Fragment of the Sutra on the Birth of the Buddha

Author: Huang Zheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Oracle bone script, Western Han bamboo slips, Dunhuang manuscripts, and the imperial archives of the Qing court are collectively known as the "Four Great Discoveries" in the history of textual studies. However, in the context of calligraphy history, oracle bone script, Han bamboo slips, and Western frontier manuscripts serve as a crucial key to reinterpreting the history of calligraphy. With the discovery of oracle bone script, we have come to understand the beauty yet unreliable nature of ancient mythological accounts of character creation, as well as the historical limitations of tracing characters back only to the gold inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty before the Song Dynasty. Similarly, the discovery of Western Han bamboo slips and the subsequent finds of bamboo slips in Central China and the Xiang-Chu regions have allowed us to recognize the existence of vivid, lifelike, and well-embodied brushwork alongside the grand monumental stone inscriptions of the Qin and Han dynasties. This has not only provided corroborating evidence but also altered our perspectives on some classic interpretations in calligraphy history.
Additionally, the Dunhuang manuscripts have revealed that, apart from the universally revered calligrapher Wang Xizhi of later dynasties, there were in fact numerous diverse and unrefined writing styles scattered among the people during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties periods. These styles, with their varied forms and lack of rigid adherence to brushwork techniques, effectively complement our overly singular interpretation of tradition and classics. They even constitute an aesthetic style of folk and popular calligraphy that stands in contrast to the classical tradition.
Moreover, when these styles became closely associated with Buddhist scriptures and copying practices during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was almost universally accepted that this represented a religious form of calligraphy. In fact, it could even be argued that a significant lineage of religious calligraphy can be traced in the history of Chinese calligraphy—ranging from calligraphic works that copied religious texts such as Buddhist and Taoist scriptures to styles that fully embodied religious spirit.