The traditional arts and crafts of ancient China were some of the most highly developed art forms of their time. Their style and finely crafted workmanship influenced the arts all over Asia. These sophisticated art forms were disseminated to the rest of the world by the Silk Route trading system.
Writing
Calligraphy is an artistic way of writing the Chinese characters in ink. The expressive art form arose during the Qin Dynasty of 221 to 206 B.C. The first examples of calligraphy were based on the earlier seal characters used to mark pottery and bronzeware. Seal carving and engraving evolved into a fine art used to sign paintings, prints and poetry. Calligraphy was done with pine-soot ink on white silk cloth and special finely made paper.
Visual Arts
The traditional art of Chinese painting originated 5,000 to 6,000 years ago with color-painted pots. Ancient paintings done on rice paper were silk-featured human figures, architecture and naturalistic-rendered flowers, fish, birds and insects. Chinese painters invented the landscape genre with pictures of mountains, rivers and forests. The two categories of Chinese painting are the freely brushed xieyi style and the disciplined and detailed gongbi tradition. Chinese woodblock prints were developed during the Tang Dynasty of A.D. 618 to 907. The finely engraved prints often decorated books and scrolls.
Pottery
Painted clay pottery was made by the Yangshao Culture of 5000 to 3000 B.C. Detailed pottery figures of soldiers and their horses were crafted and buried during the Han Dynasty from 220 to 206 B.C. The famous Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian are some of China's finest artworks. By the Three Kingdoms Period of A.D. 220 to 280, finely grained porcelain replaced the traditional clays used in glazed pottery. The distinctive blue and white porcelain originated in the Yuan Dynasty of A.D. 1271 to 1368.
Cloisonne
The art of cloisonne was first practiced in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty. Cloisonne decorations adorned bronze and porcelain objects of everyday use. Copper wire or cut-out shapes were hammered and welded into intricate flower designs and heated to form a permanent bond. Brightly colored cloisonne pieces became popular during the Ming Dynasty. Powdery glazes were baked into lattices made with finely spun filigrees. Multiple firings gave the pieces a smooth finish.
