title: Imitation Song
text: # Imitation Song
  
  Chinese characters :
  
  Scripts
  
  Precursors
  
  Oracle-bone
  
  Bronze
  
  Seal (bird-wormlargesmall)
  
  Clerical
  
  Regular
  
  Semi-cursive
  
  Cursive
  
  Flat brush
  
  Simplified characters
  
  Type styles
  
  Imitation Song
  
  Ming
  
  Sans-serif :
  
  Properties
  
  Strokes (order)
  
  Radicals
  
  Classification :
  
  Variants
  
  Character-form standards
  
  Kangxi Dictionary
  
  Jiu zixing/Inherited form
  
  Xin zixing
  
  General Standard Chinese Characters (PRC)
  
  Graphemes of commonly-used Chinese characters (Hong Kong)
  
  Standard typefaces for Chinese characters (ROC Taiwan)
  
  Grapheme-usage standards
  
  Graphemic variants
  
  General Standard Characters (PRC)
  
  Jōyō kanji (Japan)
  
  Other standards
  
  Standardized Forms of Words with Variant Forms (PRC)
  
  Previous standards
  
  Commonly-used Characters (PRC)
  
  Tōyō kanji (Japan) :
  
  Reforms
  
  Chinese
  
  Clerical reforms
  
  Traditional characters
  
  Simplified characters (first roundsecond round)
  
  Debate
  
  Japanese
  
  Old (Kyūjitai)
  
  New (Shinjitai)
  
  Ryakuji
  
  Sino-Japanese
  
  Differences between Shinjitai and Simplified characters
  
  Korean
  
  Yakja
  
  Singaporean
  
  Table of Simplified Characters :
  
  Homographs
  
  Literary and colloquial readings :
  
  Use in particular scripts
  
  Written Chinese
  
  Zetian characters
  
  Slavonic transcription
  
  Hokkien
  
  Nüshu
  
  Kanji (Kokuji)
  
  Kana (Man'yōgana)
  
  Idu
  
  Hanja (Gukja)
  
  Chữ Nôm
  
  Sawndip :
  
  vte :
  
  Imitation Song is a style of Chinese typefaces modeled after a type style in Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty. They are technically a type of regular script typeface. It is the standard typeface used in official government documents texts in China, civil drawings in both China and Taiwan.
  
  ## Name
  
  The name of this kind of typeface varies across regions that use Chinese characters.
  
  * In Chinese, it is called fǎng Sòngtǐ (仿宋體/仿宋体, "imitation Song form").
  * In Japanese, it is called Sōchōtai (宋朝体, "Song Dynasty form").
  
  ## Characteristics
  
  Characteristics of imitation Song typefaces include:
  
  * The basic structure of regular script.
  * Relatively straight strokes, with horizontal strokes slanting up slightly.
  * Low stroke width variation between horizontal and vertical strokes, with strokes usually being relatively thin.
  * Overall geometrical regularity.
  
  ## History
  
  The printing industry from the Tang Dynasty reached an apex in the Song Dynasty, during which there were three major areas of production:
  
  * Zhejiang, where publications imitated the regular script of Ouyang Xun
  * Sichuan, where publications imitated the regular script of Yan Zhenqing
  * Fujian, where publications imitated the regular script of Liu Gongquan
  
  When Song lost control of northern China to the Jin (金) dynasty, its capital was moved to Lin'an (modern Hangzhou), where there was a revival of printing, especially literature from Tang left in what was conquered by the Jin Dynasty. Many publishers were established in Lin'an, including Chén zhái shūjí bù (陳宅書籍鋪) established by Chen Qi (Chinese: 陳起; pinyin: Chén Qǐ), from which publications used a distinct style of regular script with orderly, straight strokes. Modern typefaces of this style are classified as imitation Song typefaces (Chinese: 仿宋體).
  
  