Abstract: The cultural transition brought about by the historical reform in the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） Dynasties was also felt by calligraphy. In the Tang Dynasty, officials were selected according to four criteria-behavior, argument, calligraphy and judgment-that emphasized the importance of calligraphy. In the Song Dynasties, calligraphy was no longer listed as a requirement for officialdom, which, in addition to the official practice of third-person copying of imperial examination papers, resulted in devaluation of calligraphy among the intellectuals. This explained why the overall standard of regular script was reduced to a lower level in the Song Dynasties. Meanwhile, the Confucian school of philosophy that appeared in the mid-Tang Dynasty, took shape in the Northern Song Dynasty and matured in the Southern Song Dynasty worked with the cultural transition mentioned above shed great impact on calligraphy of the Song Dynasties. Intellectual of the Song Dynasties enjoyed higher social status than their Tang counterparts and, influenced by the fledgling folk culture, began to advocate notions like “conception”,“implication”and“learning”and thus gradually became the leading force of calligraphy.

Key words: Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasties, reform, calligraphy, transition