The Chinese Manuscripts And Their Calligraphic Value Study Collected By Huang Wenbi During His Explorations In Northwestern China

The manuscripts Huang Wenbi collected during his explorations in Northwestern China were important parts of the unearthed documents in Xinjiang 新疆,which almost completely reflected the development of Chinese calligraphy in Western region西域(modern Xinjiang).Based on the research of other related disciplines,this dissertation analysed the typical calligraphic writings in different periods of Chinese calligraphic history from the perspective of brushwork evolution.Firstly,the calligraphy of bamboo slips found in Lop-Nor 罗布淖尔汉简 were basically the same as that founded in Dunhuang 敦煌,indicating that Chinese calligraphy in Western regions did not develop independently at this time.Secondly,the Sixteen Kingdoms(304-439AD)was an important period in the history of Chinese calligraphy.We can get a glimpse of the calligraphy evolution during this period through Huang Wenbi Manuscript,the Tomb Inventory in the First Year of Baique(384AD)白雀元年衣物疏and The Shurangama Samaya Sutra Written in Second Year of Taiyuan(436AD)太缘二年佛说首楞严三昧经.Thirdly,the development of Gaochang’s calligraphy was independent compared with the mainland of China.On the basis of daily writing,it strengthened the rhythm and highlighted some characteristics,thus forming a kind of calligraphy which was just like the inscription stone writing style of Northern Wei(386-534AD).Fourthly,the calligraphy of Wenxuanxu文选序was different from other Wenxuan文选texts in Tang dynasty(618-906AD),it had combined the styles of Gaochang calligraphy and Lantingxu兰亭序 written by Wangxizhi 王羲之(303-361 AD).This phenomenon may reflected the situation that local calligrapher learned the popular calligraphy of Tang after the destruction of the Kingdom of Gaochang(501-640AD).Finally,there were various official documents of Kaiyuan 开元 and Tianba 天宝 period(713-756AD)in Huang Wenbi Manuscripts.According to those manuscripts’ writers,the calligraphy of clericals and officials in Xizhou 西州presented different characteristics.They reflected some details of writing and transformation of calligraphy style in Kaiyuan period and early Tang dynasty.