source 25! woo hoo!

1. http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/chinese-calligraphy.html
2. Shi Bo
3. Author of Between Heaven and Earth, A History of Chinese Writing
4. the source says, "Chinese calligraphy shows an incontestable esthetic quality.
   
   For this reason, the Chinese -- the intellectuals in particular -- decorate their studies with one or two calligraphies excuted on a silk scroll to imbue their houses with a refined and distiniguised atmosphere.
   
   They also follow the custom of putting up the two panels of their entry doors, or on either side of them, two parallel sentences written on two long pieces of paper.
   
   These two phrases often express a wish for a good year, delare an aspiration of the master of the house, or simply show his desire to add a note of distinction to his house."
5. yes
6. because the information is clear and very easy to understand

source 24

1. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/callig/7calmodn.htm
2. Patricia Buckley Ebrey
3. -.edu website
4. the source says, "Calligraphy has remained a potent force in Chinese life up to the present. During the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, calligraphy continued to be a central art of the literati, closely associated both with painting and with the social and cultural life of the educated elite. The Chinese landscape came to reflect the appreciation of calligraphy, as stones inscribed with the calligraphy of admired artists were erected at famous sites. Calligraphy could also be seen on temple name plaques, on shop signs, and on couplets pasted by the doors of even very modest homes. Calligraphy, thus, formed an ever-present part of China's visual culture."
5. yes
6. the credentials are okay, and this site has been reviewed by many experts.

source 23

1. http://library.thinkquest.org/3614/drawing.htm
2. 11 year old Chelsea, 11 year old Nicole
3. ...? nothing really... fifth graders?
4. the source shows how to create the seven simple strokes and gives a little explanation on the different parts necessary for calligraphy.
5. somewhat
6. they are 11 years old... but the information seems so simple. it's so clear.

source 22

1. http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/Calligraphy
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. the source says, "Calligraphy is an art dating back to the earliest day of history, and widely practiced throughout China to this day. Although it uses Chinese words as its vehicle of expression, one does not have to know Chinese to appreciate its beauty. Because in essence, Calligraphy is an abstract art.
   
   East Asian calligraphy typically uses ink brushes to write Chinese characters (called Hanzi in Chinese, Kanji in Japanese, and Hanja in Korean). Calligraphy (in Chinese, Shufa 書法, in Japanese Shodō 書道, in Korean, Seoyae 書藝, all meaning "the way of writing") is considered an important art in East Asia and the most refined form of East Asian painting.
   
   The style of Chinese calligraphy has evolved continually for thousands of years. About 213 B.C., under the famous Qin Shi Huangdi, who perpetrated the 'burning of the books', the Prime Minister Li Si drew up an official index of characters and unified the written form for the use of scholars. This is chuan-shu and contained more than 3,000 characters. From that time to the present, there have been five major styles of calligraphy. Using their Japanese names, they are tensho (seal style), reisho (scribe's style), kaisho (block style), gyosho (semi-cursive style), and sosho (cursive style, literally "grass writingstyles"). All five styles of writing are still in use today.
   In addition to these, the Japanese developed the kana characters during the eighth century. In contrast to Chinese characters, which express both sound and meaning ideographically, kana express only sound without regard to meaning. Three types of kana have been developed, manyogana, hiragana, and katakana. The manyogana are a subset of the Chinese characters used phonetically to represent the syllables of Japanese, and are named after the eighth century poetry collection Manyoshu. Manyogana is now obsolete.
   
   At the time this collection was compiled the Japanese had no writing system of their own. Some of the Japanese poems were rendered in Chinese characters used phonetically, and in others the Chinese characters were used sometimes phonetically and sometimes ideographically. Using the kanji manyogana as a guide, hiragana and katakana were developed from simplified cursive versions of characters. In the hands of Japanese noblewomen, hiragana developed into a beautiful script which is the unique calligraphic style of Japan. In contrast to the loops and curves of hiragana, katakana is more angular and relies on sharp angles. Written Japanese uses both scripts along with Chinese characters, and basic calligraphy instruction is still common in Japanese lower education.
   Calligraphy has influenced most major art styles in East Asia, including sumi-e, a style of Japanese painting using indian ink.
   
   East Asian calligraphy typically uses ink brushes to write Chinese characters (called Hanzi in Chinese, Kanji in Japanese, and Hanja in Korean). Calligraphy (in Chinese, Shufa 書法, in Japanese Shodō 書道, or "the way of writing") is considered an important art in East Asia and the most refined form of East Asian painting.
   Calligraphy has influenced most major art styles in East Asia, including sumi-e, a style of Chinese and Japanese painting based entirely on calligraphy."
5. somewhat
6. the information seems logical but there were no credentials to sway my thought to believe this site

source 21?!?!

1. http://www.artrealization.com/traditional_chinese_art/calligraphy/introduction/chinese_calligraphy_intro.htm
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. the source says, "Chinese calligraphy can be seen as the backbone of China's artistic tradition. This branch of art was, and still is, the most dominant vehicle through which the Chinese express their emotions in the world of visual art.
   
   To begin with, it is crucial to differentiate Western and Chinese Calligraphy. In the west, calligraphy, literally meaning beautiful or good writing is a minor art which tends to embellish letters in a rather preconceived and rigid manner. Western calligraphy is more often than not executed by well practiced artisans (in the past mainly monks), than real artists. This is not to say that the more casual and expressive forms of calligraphy did not exist, however, people involved in this practice were never looked upon as established artists."
5. yes
6. because the website looks very professional. also, the information is supported by other sites listed in this site.

Source 20!

1. http://www.chinesecalligraphyinfo.com/index.php
2. N/A
3. N/A
4. the source says, "In both Chinese and Japanese cultures, the art of calligraphy is considered an endeavor equal to the art of brush painting. In addition to artistic expression, the practice of calligraphy is thought to bring good health and increase longevity by exercising the spirit, the mind and the body all at once.The most effective calligraphic artists strive to perfect a symbiosis of form and meaning to express the complete spirit of the characters they depict. Whether paired with painting or pursued alone, learning to create calligraphy is fundamental to those interested in Asian Art forms."
5. not really..
6. there was really no source.. and there were no credentials.. this almost seems more of an opionon rather than a fact.

Source 19?

1. http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/calligraphy.htm
2. Victor Shu
3. Director of ChinaHighlights.com
4. the source says, "Calligraphy is one of the traditional arts unique to China. It is not only a stool of cultural communication but an artistic treasure with shining and extraordinary splendor. Chinese calligraphy has a long history and lasts about 1000 years. It can be considered as a unique artistic form of the treasury of Chinese culture. It is the representative of Chinese art and is reputed as the most ancient artistic form in the history of oriental world. Calligraphy has exerted wide influence world widely and has even been introduced to many neighboring countries. Picasso, the world famous master of art, once expressed that "If I once lived in China, I must had become a calligrapher rather than a painter". Chinese traditional calligraphy mainly fall into six categories: Seal Charater, Official Script, Formal Script, Running Script, Formal Script, Running Script, Cursive Hand."
5. somewhat
6. it challenges the number of categories of calligraphy but agrees with other sites for the most part