In order to encourage calligraphy enthusiast to learn the art of Chinese calligraphy, the Confucius institute at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University offers calligraphy class taught by experienced Chinese calligraphy teachers. 

Chinese calligraphy is an ancient unique visual art that originated in the pre-Qin period and matured in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The main fonts are oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, seal scripts, official scripts, regular scripts, running scripts, cursive scripts, etc. 

Bi (brush), Mo (black colored ink), Zhi (paper) and Yan (ink-stone)  are the four essentials for ancient Chinese study and calligraphy. They are also called Four Treasures of the Study or Four Jewels of the Study. In addition to the four main treasures of the Wenfang, there are other “treasures” such as seals, inkpads, brush washes, pen holders and paperweights.

Chinese calligraphy has a long history and since ancient times there have been many great calligraphers with different artistic styles. For example, Yan Zhenqing’s Yan style, Liu Gongquan’s Liu style, Ouyang Xun’s Ou style and Zhao Mengfu’s Zhao style are the elevated calligraphy styles in the model books, as well as Wang Xizhi’s running books, which are the model books.

Although the four treasures are no longer used in the contemporary study or Chinese daily life, the art of calligraphy has become a popular art form and Chinese culture’s  unique charm.