One of the earliest forms of Chinese calligraphy is called Gia Gu Wen, or Jia Gu Wen. It was not a complete language; however it is the foundation of the Chinese calligraphy written language. It was an extremely artistic language that combined beautiful brush strokes as well as a consistent formation of structure.
The Great Seal Style, Da Zuan, of calligraphy was used as a transitional style between the Gia Gu Wen style calligraphy and the Small Seal Style Calligraphy. This calligraphy was used on both pottery and bronze objects, and can be seen in many museums today. There were over 2,000 calligraphy characters in the Gia Gu Wen style combined with the Great Seal style.
The Zuan Shu style of Chinese calligraphy was established in 221 B.C.E., and this form unified all other ancient Chinese calligraphy styles. This official language was created by Prime Minister Lee Si, at the Emperor's request, and the characters were called Zuan Shu.
It was during the Wei and Jin Dynasties where the Li style was used and that rules for calligraphy writing were established.
The first rule was published by the calligrapher Wei Heng, and was entitled the "Calligraphy Postures of Four Styles." This writing detailed why calligraphy should be considered a beautiful art form.
The "Map of Strokes Disposition," by Madame Wei instructed artists about the flow and law of calligraphy. She maintained that the most important part of calligraphy was the brush, ink, and ink stone. She also recorded seven methods for holding a brush.
Another popular writing of that period was the "Discussion on Calligraphy," by Wang Hsi-Chih.
The Tang Dynasty is often referred to as the "Golden Age" of Chinese culture. Chinese calligraphy during this time reached its zenith. During the Tang Dynasty academies were established to teach the art of calligraphy. A person's calligraphy ability was considered the standard for evaluating how accomplished he was. Most of the Chinese population wrote in the Wang Hsi-Chih style during this time.
Today Chinese calligraphy is a combination of traditional calligraphy and artistic interpretation. The base is always created by using traditional Chinese words, but fonts, abstract lines, and shapes may be used for flair.
There is, however, a real concern in Chinese society that the traditional forms of calligraphy may be lost due to the large influence of artistic design creeping into the language. There are even some instances where the word base of a character has completely changed in the last few years. Some claim that the impact of Western culture on Eastern society is to blame.