Opposition and Combination: the Excavation of “JianDu” and the Evolution of Chinese Calligraphy

Abstract

In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the decline of Model Calligraphy and the rise of Stele Theory were the overall trend of Chinese calligraphy field. The publication of Kang Youwei’s Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji brought this trend to a climax. But things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme. After the fall of the Qing Empire, many leaders in the calligraphy field cut off ills, and guide the recovery of Model Calligraphy again. In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Stele Theory and Model Calligraphy were still in opposition. During this period, the excavation of “JianDu” indicated the future direction of Chinese calligraphy. “JianDu” broke the opposition between Stele Theory and Model Calligraphy, allowing them to return to the traditional calligraphy path in a unified way. It makes Chinese calligraphy jump out of the relatively narrow and pure boundaries of Stele Theory or Model Calligraphy, and gradually evolve towards a wider and more diverse world.