The Study and the Script: Tang-Dynasty Paper, Brush, and Calligraphic Style

Mei Ruiye

Chengdu College of Arts and Sciences

Abstract：

This article examines how Tang-dynasty paper and brush craftsmanship shaped calligraphic style. The chicken-spur brush (Jiju bi)—a paper-wrapped core brush with a short, stiff tip—was structurally adapted to the centered-tip (zhongfeng) technique and the codification of regular-script (kaishu) norms. Advances in papermaking, including sizing, dyeing, and processed papers such as hard-yellow (huanghuang) paper, provided the material ground for precise brushwork. Official paper-use regulations and standardized sutra-copying supplies further reinforced stylistic uniformity. The article argues that tools do not determine style but delineate its boundaries: within these boundaries, the calligrapher's subjectivity operates; the more routine and professionalized the writing, the stronger the tool's explanatory power. The late-Tang rise of the coreless scattered-fiber (Sanzhuo) brush foreshadowed the Tang-Song stylistic transition.

Key Words：

Tang Calligraphy; Papermaking; chicken-spur brush; writing materials; calligraphic style