The Northern and Southern schools represent two distinctive styles of ancient Chinese calligraphy. Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072) and Zhao Mengjian (1199-1267) of the Song Dynasty, and Chen Yixi (1648-1709) and He Zhuo (1661-1722) of the Qing explored the differences of these two styles. Later, Ruan Yuan (1764-1849), also of the Qing Period, addressed this issue with clarity and at depth in his “On the Southern and Northern Styles of Calligraphy.” In his view, both styles originated with Zhong Yao (151-230, from late Han to the early Three Kingdoms Period) and Wei Guan (220-291, the Three Kingdoms Period), while Suo Jing (239-303, the Western Jin Dynasty) was the founder of the northern style. The Northern School features calligraphic inscriptions on stones, which displays a primitive simplicity of the official script of the Han Dynasty. The southern style, on the other hand, is mostly found on paper and, rather than following the seal script of the Qin or the clerical script of the Han, adopts the regular script of the late Han, the semi-cursive script of the Western Jin or the cursive script increasingly popular over a much longer period of time. It is charming and beautiful.

In the years after the Jin and Song of the Southern Dynasties, northern and southern styles of calligraphy diverged… In the north simplicity prevailed, and the clerical script was popular, but the formal elegance of the Jin time was lost.

(Zhao Mengjian: On Calligraphy)

The calligraphy of the Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen period may be known as the southern style, while that of the Zhao, Yan, Wei, Qi, Zhou, and Sui period, the northern style. The southern style was mostly found in petitions to the throne, documents and letters, whereas the northern style was imprinted on calligraphic inscriptions on stones and plaques… Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang, was especially fond of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy. One of his ministers Yu Shinan emulated the Wang’s style and raised it to a higher level of artistry. His calligraphy had the merits of both the southern and northern styles. (Ruan Yuan: On the Southern and Northern Styles of Calligraphy)