A calligraphy exhibition featuring Zhang Zhi Award winning pieces was launched online and in person in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on Oct 19.

Visitors appreciate the calligraphy works in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on Oct 19. [Photo/gansudaily.com.cn]

Research on Dunhuang calligraphy culture is also on display, dealing with the subjects of historical essays, aesthetics and techniques.

Dunhuang calligraphy art has received more and more attention in recent years. It is the culmination of Dunhuang Han bamboo slips, suicide notes, manuscripts and stone inscriptions. The calligrapher Zhang Zhi of Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) is a representative figure of the art.

The manuscripts span more than 700 years and involve almost all of the five main Chinese calligraphy styles -- seal script, clerical script, regular script, cursive script and semi-cursive script. Most were written by officials, scholars, monks and people who specialized in writing scriptures.

Aside from murals and painted sculpture art, Dunhuang is also home to a large number of fantastic calligraphy works. The unearthed relics have made an invaluable contribution to the study of ancient Chinese calligraphy’s development.