Chinese characters are unique in all other ideographic writing systems，including the hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt，Cuneiform of ancient Mesopotamia，Linear script of the ancient Crete／Minoan script，and the ancient Mayan script of Central America．Becoming extinct and part of history，Chinese characters have survived in the present day as the only form of ideographic system．With such a glorious history，Chinese characters are highly recognized for their contribution of passing along wondrous Chinese culture for thousands of years．

Chinese calligraphy is a unique art，with Chinese characters as the carrier，which integrates many aesthetic elements of art．The contemporary calligrapher，Shen Yinmo，in his Essays on Calligraphy wrote，“Chinese calligraphy is generally hailed as the highest form of art，for it is full of miracles．Without color，it has the liveliness of a picture．Without sound，it carries the harmony of music．It is so enticing and refreshing．”As a unique modeling art，Chinese calligraphy has developed into a distinctive artistic language．Through it，we can find different handwriting styles and various forms of each character，changes of rhythm and force in the writing，as well as the use of ink，white cloth（i．e．blank canvas），and other artistic elements．It expresses a calligrapher's intention as well as his or her thoughts and emotions，which arouse viewers'spiritual resonance and satisfy their aesthetic needs．These are exclusive artistic characteristics of Chinese calligraphy，which cannot be found in any other writing systems．Therefore，only Chinese characters evolved into a calligraphic art with a thousand years of history，and secured a place in the world treasure house of art and culture．

The art of calligraphy is closely related to Chinese characters．Observing the development of Chinese characters and calligraphy，one can never fail to find the dependent relationship between them：Chinese calligraphy will lose its charm when it is isolated from Chinese characters．In early writings，the aesthetic elements of calligraphy had already been conceived and they were gradually accumulated，developed and perfected in later generations，with the aesthetic features of Chinese characters the most important factor for calligraphy to become a unique art． EmW4wbArHSEHkzgEEjktUttH8MPIpBjhjITjbYdta5Y3Z2hpZ/1D3mbHlJsHbTaW