It takes years of practice to master the elegant strokes and balanced composition of Chinese calligraphy. For centuries it has been on a par with painting as the highest form of visual art, and examples from revered ancient calligraphers can be found inscribed on slabs of stone in temples and on mountains all over China. A proficiency in calligraphy is no longer the essential skill it once was (without it, a man could not progess in the civil service) but many - especially among the older generations - still consider it a hallmark of culture.