From Yang Ningshi To Ouyang Xiu

With the examples of Yang Ning-shi and Ou-yang Xiu,this essay is aimed at researching the calligraphy of Five Dynasties and early Song,In order to discuss the internal order of its development and reformation as well as the effect of the concepts,also to give a response to "the Tang-Song transformation" put forward by Naito Konan.To start with Yang's background,work and the reconstitution of his figure,I studied on viewer's acceptance of him and the relationship between him and the writingmethods of late Tang,including the indwelling connections of his style with many topics.The culture of middle ancient China almost fell over because of the disturbance in late Tang,however,the high Tang methods were followed in the regions of the South and Ba—Shu,left them to Song with different forms.The reformation of calligraphy took place in Five Dynasties were formerly indicated in mid Tang,i.e.the active consciousness in searching for the quality generalized as "thin and forceful","even and straight" along with "fleshy and goodmannered".The changes occurred later were closely related to it,besides,they were the complex interleaving of various tracks,instead of the main content of writing from Five Dynasties to early Song.The rational critique of Five Dynasties in Song helped to form the new standards of aesthetic criticism.Both the emperors and the literati sought for "the foregone principles of high Tang" in early Song,but there came some divergences in specific methods:the continuities of subjectivity caused the reformation of objectivity,that was the vital thing in the development from Five Dynasties to early Song.The reformation almost completed during Emperor Renzong since the advocate of revitalize literati proposed by Emperor SongTaizong;from the court to the civil,Song calligraphy looked up to Yan Zhen-qing's work as a model,the changes of writing and literati principles were nearly coincided,it's them that shaped the new era of calligraphy.