Chinese calligraphy, like the script itself, began with hieroglyphs and over the long ages of evolution, has developed various distinct styles and schools, constituting an important part of the national heritage.

Chinese scripts are generally divided into five categories: the seal character (zhuan), the official or clerical script (li), the regular script (kai), the running hand (xing) and the cursive hand (cao)

Folk Crafts

Xi'an 's folk crafts have many varieties and a long history. Among the fairly famous ones are clay toys, cloth piecework, embroidery, puppets and leather shadow show figures. Most of the crafts follow the artistic traditions of peasant handicrafts, so they are simple and natural in style yet brightly colored.