The standard of Chinese arts is in a wide bound. But all these styles are based on the Tao, a branch of philosphy founded by Lao Zi which asked people to obey the rule by the universe and treat ourselves as a part of the nature. In Lao Zi's works, he mentioned the theory of empty. He said when a bowl or a room is empty, it can be used as a implement. So in a calligraphy works, the artist not only must draw the strokes in the proper place, but also must take care of the place he left between the strokes. When you are watching a calligraphy works, you can enjoy the elaborate arrangement of the black strokes and the white blank places. I always think that even Confucianism can be deduced from the Tao. And Lao Zi also said when the Tao is feeble, virtue and morality will appear. So there're some Confucian standards used in philosphy too. Such as the civility of the single charactor and the courtliness between the charactors. All the criticisms to a calligraphy can also be used to a person and it can really reflect the writer's character. .
I think the only secret skill different from the west is the use of the blank. It's so important that there's a saying," if you can treat the blanks as the strokes, you have already known more than a half in calligraphy." But other skills on the implements of the brush, the ink and the paper also need a hard training. There's a real story that when a calligraphy master attended the imperatorial art academe, others didn't know what he could do so they all looked down on him. One day when there built a new wall. All the artists were gethered to elect one to draw or write on it. This new calligraphy master walked out with no word and quickly drew an I-go chessboard and a target on the wall without any implement. The straight lines on the I-go chessboard were like they were drawn by a ruler and the round storkes on the target were like they were drawn by a compasses.
