ThoughKaishu(regular script) developed to a certain level in the Jin Dynasty (265-420), theKaiworks of that period still bore traces of Li calligraphy. The Longzang Temple Tablet and the Epitaph of the Tomb of Beautiful Lady Dong show thatKaishuhad developed to a mature stage during the Sui Dynasty (581-618). But it did not achieve its zenith until the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Kaishuis regular with a tight structure and fluent strokes. Calligraphers in the history produced many masterpieces that have been handed down. Ouyang Xun, Liu Gongquan, Yan Zhenqin and Zhao Meng developedKaishuto its peak with their unique styles, and they were called Four Masters ofKaishu.
BecauseKaishuis easier to write and recognize than Li calligraphy, it has taken the place of the latter and become a general font ever since the Wei and Jin dynasties. In the Song Dynasty, the development of typography helped createSongti- a kind of calligraphy specially for typing based onKaishu. Nowadays, calligraphies such asSongti, Fangsongti, Heitiand so on, which are for typeset in computer and other printed materials, are all different applications ofKaishu.
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