Chinese calligraphy serves the purpose of conveying thought and also shows the 'abstract' beauty of the line. rhythm, line, and structure are more perfectly embodied in calligraphy than in painting or sculpture.

Chinese calligraphy just like Chinese painting is divided into two major categories: Free Hand Brushwork (Xieyi) and Detailed Brushwork (Gongbi) . The former is characterized by simple and bold strokes intended to represent the exaggerated likenesses of the objects, while the latter by fine brushwork and close attention to detail. Employing different techniques , the two schools try to achieve the same end, the creation of beauty.

紫氣東來 - Purple Air Coming from the East

"Purple Air Coming from the East" is a Daoist anecdote, an allusion in the Intimate Biography of Guardian Yin. Similar records can be found in many later Daoist biographies. It is said that Laozi, founder of philosophical Daoism (addressed respectfully as the Supreme Venerable Sovereign in Daoism), in the face of the decadent manners and morals of the time, prepared to leave the land of the Zhou dynasty and become a hermit. According to the Biographies of Unfathomable Creatures, Laozi wanted to go to the desert country in the west so that he could teach foreign people. Then a stream of purple air moved from the east towards the west up to the Hangu Pass. Yin Xi, a senior official of King Zhaowang of the Zhou dynasty, who was good at observing the omens shown by stellar movements, knew that a saint was going to pass through Hangu Pass. So he resigned his office in the court, and became a guardian of Hangu Pass. He performed Fasting rituals, burnt incense on both sides of the road, swept the road clean, and did nothing but wait for the saint. Soon, Laozi rode to the pass on a black ox. Guardian Yin Xi formally became a student of Laozi and asked him to write The Book of Dao and its Virtue, which was handed down through the ages.

Among the people of China, purple air coming from the east is an auspicious symbol, and many literary works develop it into a plot. A good example is chapter 77, "Laozi Transformed from One Vital Breath into the Three Pristine Ones" in the book The Romance of the Gods. Based on a rich tradition of Daoist literature, it develops the story of "Purple Air Coming from the East" artistically and is very appealing. In the past when people celebrated the Spring Festival, they always pasted the Spring Festival couplets containing the words "Purple Air Coming from the East", which shows that the story of Laozi passing through the Hangu Pass has always continued to be disseminated. 

Note: This is a hand writing and may vary from the picture shown.