Calligraphy is one of the main columns of traditional Chinese visual arts. The expressiveness of the brushstrokes and lines is the most important stylistic means of the artist, the red stamp being the artist’s identifying mark. While calligraphy originally served as a transmission system for messages, it is today used as a means of artistic expression. The art lies in striking a balance between the white areas and the contrasting black characters. The actual meaning of the characters is of less importance.
The characters shown here are written in the so-called Caoshu style, which looks back on an over 2000 year-old tradition. This style could be described as ‘free style’, which gives the artist special liberties in designing the characters. Freely translated, the characters mean: ‘This land, so rich in beauty, has innumerable heroes who bow in awe (before such beauty)’: an homage to the beauty of the Chinese countryside.