Chinese Calligraphy and Painting

Chinese calligraphy is an art unique to Asian cultures. Shu (calligraphy), Hua (painting), Qin (a string musical instrument), and Qi (a strategic boardgame) are the four basic skills and disciplines of the Chinese literati. It is often thought to be most revealing of one's personality. There is an old saying that you can evaluate a one's personality based on how he write.

Calligraphy needs three tools, ink, paper and brush. By controlling the concentration of ink, the thickness of the paper, and the flexibility of the brush, the artist is free to produce an infinite variety of styles and forms.

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guó huà国画, meaning 'national' or 'native painting'. Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black or colored ink; oils are not used.

It is the most popular materials on which paintings are made of are paper and silk, together with calligraphy. The finished work is then mounted on scrolls, which can e hung or rolled up.