The World of Running Script
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Beginning readers with an initial interest in the history of Chinese calligraphy and culture who want a systematic understanding.
- Enthusiasts of traditional culture who wish to go beyond mere appreciation and understand the interaction between art forms and social culture.
- Teachers and content creators seeking material for writing or general humanities education.
- Urban readers who hope to find calm through reading and sense the beauty of the form and meaning of Chinese characters amid a fast-paced life.
Not a good fit for
- Pure calligraphy practitioners seeking a detailed guide to the strokes and structural techniques of semi-cursive script.
- Readers of visually oriented art albums expecting large numbers of high-resolution stele reproductions.
Reading tips
- It is advisable to read the first two chapters straight through to establish a broad framework of the evolution of Chinese characters and the origins of semi-cursive script, then move on to the appreciation of specific masters and works.
- While reading, look up clear images of the classic steles mentioned in the book for cross-reference between text and image to deepen understanding.
- Given the book's distinctive cultural-historical perspective, it may help to take notes tracing the connections between the development of semi-cursive script and social change.
About the publisher
Founded in 1982, Modern Press is a Chinese publisher that serves general readers across a diverse range of subjects. Judging from its catalog, its publishing focuses on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, psychological research and application, popular science, and modern poetry, along with history, biography, and children's books. The Book of Songs, the illustrated vernacular edition of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, The Complete Poems of Dai Wangshu, and Buddhism in the Vegetable Roots reflect efforts to make traditional culture and poetry accessible; works by Carl Gustav Jung such as The Development of Personality and Understanding Your Psychological Type, together with titles from the Ivy International Education Alliance, show sustained attention to psychology and educational reading; and Stephen Hawking's works and the illustrated two-volume Brief History of Everything and A Brief History of Time indicate a commitment to popular science. Its authors include figures such as Qu Wanli, Xu Ke, Dai Wangshu, and Jung, and its publishing emphasizes retelling classics and accessible, illustrated presentation. Because public information is limited, this summary is based only on the titles in our catalog.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序 言
- 字书之祖——仓颉篇
- 书房夜话李斯统一文字
- 千古一相李斯与隶书
- 无上至宝——三希宝帖
- 王羲之作《快雪时晴帖》
- 王献之作《中秋帖》
- 王珣回信作《伯远帖》
- 乾隆皇帝建造三希堂
- 第一行书——兰亭序
- 王羲之兰溪挥毫作序
- 不愧为天下第一行书
- 李世民巧取《兰亭序》
- 无法之法——祭侄文稿
- 颜真卿奋笔疾书祭忠魂
- 被誉为天下第二行书
- 《祭侄文稿》后世传
- 第五行书——韭花帖
- 杨凝式收徒收韭花赠礼札
- 承唐启宋的书法名帖
- 旷世神品——黄州寒食帖
- 苏轼被贬而作诗表心迹
- 旷世神品的诗作行书字帖
- 第一美帖——蜀素帖
- 米芾游苕溪蜀素卷留墨宝
- 章法独具一格的《蜀素帖》
- 诗书双绝——松风阁诗贴
- 黄庭坚夜宿枫林阁并作诗
- 传世佳作《松风阁诗帖》
FAQ
Is this book suitable for readers with no calligraphy background at all?
Does the book include model calligraphy for tracing practice?
What is the author Xiao Dongfa's academic background?
Comments
Find this book
This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Xiao Dongfa (1949–2016), whose ancestral home was Tianjin and who was born in Shenyang, was a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, and director of its Institute of Modern Publishing. An important scholar in editing and publishing studies, he focused on the history of Chinese books, publishing history, and yearbook studies. He edited the History of Chinese Editing and Publishing and Chinese Libraries of Book Collecting, and led the National Social Science Fund key project A General History of Chinese Publishing, laying a solid foundation for the organization and narration of Chinese publishing history. Beyond academic writing, he attended to Peking University's institutional history and humanistic traditions, writing works such as Character: From the Imperial University to Old Peking University, Exemplars: Former Residences and Anecdotes of Peking University Notables, and Scenes: Yanyuan Landscapes and Cultural Heritage, which recount campus memories and personal stories with warmth. His works also touch on the four treasures of the study, garden architecture, and academic writing standards. Some 491 of his titles are held in the library, spanning language and culture, biography, and architecture, and combining scholarly rigor with accessible readability.
Jiang Chuanguo is an author about whom limited public information is available. Six of his works are currently known, focusing on three areas: art, culture, and inspirational personal growth. His representative works include "Calligraphy Under Heaven" and its companion volume, "Calligraphy Under Heaven: Famous Semi-Cursive Script Masterpieces and Art," both of which center on semi-cursive script and show the author's sustained attention to calligraphic art, especially fine semi-cursive works and related artistic traditions. "Loyalty to the Nation" and "Honesty and Gratitude: Important Expressions of Simple Morality" turn to traditional moral and cultural ideas, explaining in accessible terms how virtues such as loyalty, righteousness, and honesty manifest in history and everyday life. Judging from these works, Jiang Chuanguo's writing combines artistic appreciation with the popularization of moral culture. His language tends to be plain and readable, aimed at general readers interested in calligraphy and traditional culture, and he seeks to connect aesthetic appreciation with value guidance. Because his dates of birth and death, nationality, and life experiences are not recorded, his personal background cannot be further introduced at this time.
