Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is the art writing of Chinese characters in both script and brush strokes, often using only flowers and animals as the characters themselves. This intricate and complex form of art has long been practiced in China and was generally held in great esteem throughout East Asia. Now Chinese calligraphy designs are being used in everything from decorative lettering on letters and invitations to official documents to more modern applications such as jewelry and tattoos. Chinese calligraphy can be difficult for non-Chinese to read. This is largely due to the fact that Chinese characters have been written from left to right with no spaces or dots. It is also written using a complex system of radicals that have been arranged in such a way as to make the most possible number of strokes per minute possible. These radicals are then combined into compound words, or 'sounds'. Each sound has its own specific meaning and is associated with particular Chinese anim...