Related figures of Daoshu

"Knife calligraphy" - a rare flower in the Hard Pen Calligraphy Garden

"Knife calligraphy" is a special calligraphy art that uses a knife as a pen to write Chinese characters on paper. It is a native folk calligraphy art category created by Mr. Li Maocai in Jiaozhou City since the 1950s. It is a hard-pen calligraphy that has the same origin as brush calligraphy but is unique. The works pursue strong, clean, soft and graceful, with rich line changes and a unique charm of strong and soft momentum.

Mr. Li Maocai, the founder of "Daoshu", has been fond of calligraphy since he was a child. He has copied famous inscriptions from Ou, Yan, Liu, Zhao and other dynasties. He was engaged in education in his youth. By chance, he saw the craftsmanship of knife engraving on the brush holder, and was inspired. Since "the force of the knife can carve and leave a mark", then "ink can be applied to the blade and leave a mark". It must also be possible. Furthermore, swords and Chinese characters have long been associated, and oracle bone inscriptions are an example of using swords as pens to write Chinese characters. So I boldly used a knife instead of pen to practice on paper, and finally the hard work paid off. Many problems such as how to hold a pen, how to use the pen, and how to store water were solved through countless failures and summaries. Teacher Li's knife-and-bill calligraphy not only inherits and develops the essence of the art of brush calligraphy, but also creates unique writing methods for "knife-style calligraphy" - the low-sloping writing method and the upright writing method. In addition to reverse and smooth, he also created the original "rotating pen movement" method; explored the alternate water storage method of "accumulating ink" and "removing ink" on the problem of water storage; created the "finger force and wrist force ten" method for the flexible use of strength. Eight Methods".

Mr. Li's "Knife Calligraphy" works not only have a strong and tough momentum similar to steel wires, but also have a soft and elegant charm like colorful silk flying. They are worthy of being a rare flower in the hard-pen calligraphy garden.

Ren Jingbao: An ordinary kitchen knife turns into a magic pen and a wonderful hand writes a masterpiece

“A piece of ordinary rice paper and a kitchen knife commonly used in the kitchen immediately transformed into magic in the hands of Mr. Ren Jingbao, a calligrapher. . I saw him splashing ink on the rice paper with a knife, swirling or pausing, using the back of the knife, or using the blade. In just a few minutes, the word "bamboo" with flying dragons and phoenixes appeared on the paper, and the entire work showed Chinese calligraphy. At the same time, it is more powerful and powerful." This is the wonderful scene when the reporter witnessed the creation of Ren Jingbao, the founder of China's "Knife Book" in Shengpuyang City, Henan Province on the morning of the 20th.

Ren Jingbao, courtesy name Mohan, was born in Xu Town, Puyang County in 1950. He has been practicing calligraphy for thirty-five years. Over the past ten years, he has created the original knife and calligraphy skills through painstaking research. , praised by industry experts as one of the best in China.

It is understood that Ren Jingbao's original "knife calligraphy" technique is a form of calligraphy created by making full use of the smoothness of the knife. It not only integrates traditional calligraphy, but also adopts modern technical techniques. The techniques of his works are unique, his strokes are as strong and powerful as a knife chopping an axe, his fonts are rigorous in structure, and their frames are elegant, elegant and free.

Speaking of the creation of "Sword Book", Ren Jingbao said that one morning in 1990, Ren Jingbao received a phone call at home. When he was writing down the phone number of the other party, he didn't have a pen at hand, and he was so anxious. Next, I took a fruit knife and dipped it in the tea, then wrote a few numbers on the table. It didn't matter what he wrote. An inspiration came to Ren Jingbao's mind. He thought, since a fruit knife dipped in water can write numbers, could it be possible to write Chinese characters when dipped in ink? It worked really well once I tried it, and the style of the written characters was very different from pen calligraphy and brush calligraphy.

Subsequently, he bought more than 120 knives of various kinds, including fruit knives, kitchen knives, bayonets, long knives, wide knives, and narrow knives. When I started practicing, I didn't know what kind of paper was suitable, so I could only explore step by step. The first step was to use rice paper, but that didn't work. Then I used ordinary white paper and various promotional papers, and finally I settled on coated paper. In order to perfect the skill of "sword calligraphy", he used tens of thousands of sheets of white paper, hundreds of bottles of ink, spent most of his savings, and polished the calluses on his hands layer after layer. The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. After several years of exploration, his "knife calligraphy" skills have finally been completed.

According to reports, Ren Jingbao’s “Knife Book” has been widely recognized by the art world and attracted widespread attention from all walks of life. Mr. Li Jianguo, a famous Chinese calligrapher, once wrote an inscription for Ren Jingbao: "There are strange people in China, and their swords and pens convey the spirit." Mr. Shi Yuzheng, a famous calligrapher who was awarded the title of "World Chinese Artist" by the Ministry of Culture and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, inscribed for him "Beijing's wonderful talent, precious sword and beautiful calligraphy and painting". His works have been spread to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries and regions. His "Sword Calligraphy" works "Yellow River", "Yunshan", "The Great Wall" and "Slim" are also in international competitions. Won the gold medal.

Qing Ding Dao Shu He wants to make art unique

Art categories can be understood by analogy, but they also have their own techniques and techniques. The painters worked hard day and night, while Wang Pufang observed and directed on the spot. However, either because the knife is sharp and scratches the paper, or because the knife surface is too smooth to carry ink, the size and shape of the knife, the strength and angle of writing on the wrist will all affect the expressiveness of calligraphy and painting. Once you find the crux, you can prescribe the right medicine. Wang Pufang went around all the stores in Puyang and bought dozens of knives of different sizes and widths, including kitchen knives and fruit knives. He also brought sandpaper from home and peeled off the knives first. Sharp, then frosted the smooth surface, and then worked with several painters to repeatedly experiment with the consistency of the ink.

A few months later, when the painters presented their sword calligraphy and painting works in front of Wang Pufang, Wang Pufang suddenly felt his eyes light up. Every word and every painting was full of powerful speed, clear-cut shapes and harmony. The feeling of atmosphere. Isn't this exactly the knife calligraphy and painting work he dreamed of? Having worked in a TV station, he immediately thought of the publicity effect of the media. He decided to plan a unique large-scale event to make the knife calligraphy and painting shine in Dragon City.

On August 5, 2004, which coincided with the 100th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's birth, Wang Pufang, who had experience in planning many large-scale events, held a large-scale exhibition of knife calligraphy and painting works in front of the Puyang County Complex Building. The artist's works attracted people's attention as soon as they were unveiled. Especially the "Lobster Picture" amazed many people. The lobster picture*** consists of 36 lobsters and 9 aquatic plants. The lobsters have different shapes and are lifelike. The group shape is like a giant dragon with its head raised, which means that Puyang is the hometown of dragons in China. It also looks like the word "ji", which symbolizes our mother. River Yellow River. The overall layout is ingenious, and the cutting of the knife is superb, highlighting the essence of knife calligraphy and painting. Municipal media came, provincial news media came, and the Hunan Satellite TV evening news report on Puyang knife calligraphy and painting, as well as related reprints on major websites, made Puyang knife calligraphy and painting even more famous.

Wang Pufang wants more people to know and learn knife calligraphy and painting. In the following time, he led the painters to continue to develop knife calligraphy and painting, while constantly participating in various art exchanges and calligraphy and painting exhibitions, and established the Oriental Knife Calligraphy and Painting Academy. Since 2004 to the present, Wang Pufang has taken his painters to dozens of cities across the country, including Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, and Beijing. Everywhere he goes, knife calligraphy and painting will use his unique tools and calligraphy and painting art. It has become a hot topic and has become a popular news item on CCTV and major news media. Wang Pufang is praised as China's "King of Knife and Pen" by major news media and foreign friends. His calligraphy works such as "Bamboo", "Goodness" and "Lobster Picture" have won many awards at various exhibitions. Gold Award. Knife calligraphy and painting have also become cultural gifts and tourist souvenirs for cooperation and exchange between Puyang and other places. In 2004, at the celebration of the anniversary of Macao's return to the king, the painting and calligraphy with the knife "Shrimp Picture" was presented as a gift to the Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region, Edmund Ho Hau Wah. In 2005, the painting and calligraphy with the knife was presented as a gift from the Puyang Municipal People's Government to the World Cheung Family Conference. At the "Olympic Journey China Impression National Art Exhibition", the knife calligraphy and painting "Goodness" created by Wang Pufang was collected by the "Olympic Journey" organizing committee. Wang Pufang said that in order to promote knife calligraphy and painting, he often participates in various activities and donates paintings for free. It is inevitable that he will engage in loss-making business. However, as a new art category, knife calligraphy and painting have become a cultural brand in Puyang. Value cannot be measured in money. Therefore, he will keep going...

The legendary life of swordsmanship - an interview with Jin Youliang, the martial arts master of swordsmanship

As we all know, the broadsword is a weapon in Chinese martial arts, and it was used bravely in ancient times Kill enemies and use it to strengthen your body in modern times. Nowadays, some people regard it as a "pen" for practicing calligraphy. He is Jin Youliang, a strange man in our city and the founder of Chinese martial arts swordsmanship. Jin Youliang was impressed by Zhang Fei's drunkenness in history, when he chiseled official scripts on a stone wall, and when Yue Fei was so angry that he crowned his golden gun and wrote inscriptions. He integrated traditional Tai Chi, Wudang, and Shaolin Kung Fu into the art of calligraphy and painting. He used the back, tip, and blade of the broadsword to write calligraphy, and practiced in winter. After five years of hard training, he finally created his own unique skills and created various martial arts swordsmanship such as Shaolin swordsmanship and Tai Chi swordsmanship.

In October 2008, he participated in the first Qiyi reality show "You are the Most Talented" on the Henan TV Urban Channel. He stood out among more than 2,000 participants and won the grand prize, and was awarded "The Big Sword Calligraphy Worldwide" " title; in April 2009, CCTV Sports Channel invited him to participate in the "Martial Arts Conference" to perform martial arts swordsmanship and won a lot of praise. At the end of June this year, his knife calligraphy works also won the gold medal in the youth category in the "Fourth National Calligraphy and Painting Competition of the Chinese Talent Awards".

On June 15, the author came to his residence in Junxian County and visited this martial arts swordsman.

Martial arts and calligraphy are equally important

A simple room of less than 30 square meters is where he and his family live. As soon as we entered the house, the four characters "God rewards those who work hard" first came into view. In addition to a few beds and two tables, the most eye-catching thing in the house is the sword and calligraphy works hanging on the wall, as well as various weapons such as knives and swords hanging in the corners. Jin Youliang, courtesy name Wumo, was born in 1974. He is a native of Huapitun Village, Juqiao Town, Qibin District. He practiced martial arts at the age of seven and visited famous teachers; when he grew up, he joined the army. After he retired, he worked in a factory with a monthly salary of less than 300 yuan. The difficulty of life made him extra diligent and diligent. He later studied the art of sword calligraphy and created the original Chinese martial arts sword calligraphy.

Jin Youliang not only loved martial arts since childhood, but also loved calligraphy. In addition to practicing martial arts, he spent most of the rest of his time studying various calligraphy books and practicing calligraphy. All the old newspapers at home became his exercise books. After a week, there was a pile of used newspapers under the table.

The scrap newspapers and old wall calendars at home were almost used up, so he looked for old wall calendars from friends and neighbors. Later, he simply set up a stall in front of the door. When someone sent old wall calendars, he would give them to them. They wrote Zhang Daoshu, and later many people who had old wall calendars at home would take the initiative to send them to them.

In the process of practicing sword writing, Jin Youliang constantly felt that his knowledge was limited.

Practicing sword writing not only prompted him to further practice martial arts, but also prompted him to continue to study cultural knowledge and calligraphy art. He gradually discovered that by pushing the luck of Tai Chi Kung Fu to the blade and tip, he could control the ink flow. Through practice and practice, he gradually summed up a set of martial arts swordsmanship skills of "Qi sinking in the Dantian, shoulders urging the elbows, elbows urging the hands, and then luck reaches the tip of the knife." Later, he could use everything from the Spring and Autumn Sword to the "Xiao Li Flying Sword" with ease.

Jin Youliang said that a large knife that can write on paper is very particular about its size and thickness. When he first had no money, he used a large sword to practice sword writing on paper. He designed and forged it himself. Although it was not very beautiful, he finally had the first suitable "pen" for practicing sword writing on paper. Until he went to Henan TV station to participate in "You are the Most Talented", he still used this knife, and now he has hung it on the wall for collection.

There is an interesting anecdote about this broadsword. When he was about to enter the finals of the "You Are the Most Talented" competition, the director said to him: "Your handwriting is good, but this big knife is not very elegant." At that time, Jin Youliang almost ran out of money to buy ink. It was his mother who took out 30 yuan from her pension and asked someone to make a stainless steel sword. He took this heavy stainless steel knife to the finals and won the grand prize.

Being humble and accepting lessons at the city wall

Because of his obsession with calligraphy, Jin Youliang sometimes danced with a sword and drew a few strokes on the ground. Every morning he does morning exercises on Dagong Mountain. It had just rained one day, and the rainwater collected into puddles in the low-lying areas of the rocks, like pools of ink, which gave him the urge to write. So he took advantage of the opportunity to dip his martial arts sword into the mud in the puddle and write on the rocks with a "pen", attracting people to watch, and cheers came from the crowd from time to time, which made him more enthusiastic about writing with the sword.

Later, Jin Youliang discovered that the best thing to use for knife training is clay juice, which is not only economical but also easy to use. From then on, when he returned to Junxian County by car from his hometown in Juqiao, he never forgot to take a sack of clay blocks with him. After returning home, he broke the clay blocks into pieces and mixed them with water like ink. Since then, he can often be seen waving a broadsword beside the ancient city wall along the Wei River, practicing martial arts and dipping in mud to practice calligraphy. He practiced this for three years.

When Jin Youliang first practiced with a broadsword, many people thought he was a weirdo: Others couldn't write well with a brush, but he used a broadsword. Is this possible? Some people also advised him that you are young but not engaged in a serious job. You are dancing with a knife and writing with mud here, so you might as well go back and start a business. Another time someone saw him writing with a big knife, so he walked straight up to him and said, "Go back and write with a brush. You can still make money by selling it. What future can you gain by writing with a big knife here?" After hearing this, he just Smile and don't defend yourself.

Jin Youliang said that most of the inspiration for his calligraphy came from the folk, from the inspiration and guidance of some "folk calligraphers" who lived by the Wei River when he was practicing knife calligraphy by the city wall. His ability to achieve such results today is due to the time spent beside the city wall.

He said that there were several old folk calligraphers in Junxian North Street who helped him a lot. One of them was Liu Yongchun, a carpenter who loved calligraphy. He once gave him some advice: He should apply Tai Chi to calligraphy so that the words he writes will be smooth and natural. The other one is Liu Yongguang, an old man from North Street. Liu Yongguang said, your handwriting cannot be too similar, otherwise it will be too vulgar; if it is too unlike, that is called bullying, and between likeness and dissimilarity is called art.

He said that there was also a Mr. Ma wearing glasses on North Street. Although he could not calligraphy, he had a sentence that suddenly enlightened him. One day, he was practicing martial arts swordsmanship by the Wei River. Mr. Ma stood behind him and watched him for half an hour until the sun set. When he was packing his things and preparing to go home, Mr. Ma said: "You should bring sword writing closer to history." The speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention. After he went back, he rummaged through the books at home and found out the relevant legends: In history, after Zhang Fei defeated Zhang He, he used Zhangba snake spear to chisel official script on Bameng Mountain in Qu County, Sichuan while he was in a drunken mood; Yue Fei also used it Golden gun inscription.

This made his eyes light up and strengthened his determination to practice swordsmanship - to recreate history in the modern era and turn legends into reality!

In the process of studying swordsmanship, Jin Youliang deeply felt that if he wanted to inherit and carry forward Chinese martial arts, he would be greatly limited without culture, so he determined to be a person with both civil and military skills.

When performing outside, Jin Youliang is often called a "god man", but many people ignore the hard work and study behind him. He said that he is not a "godman", but he is just more persistent than others.

After the interview, Jin Youliang also gave us a live knife and calligraphy performance. Accompanied by classical music, he integrated martial arts and Tai Chi into calligraphy. While wielding the sword and splashing ink, a sword-calligraphy work appears on the paper, displaying the essence of martial arts and calligraphy art, which is amazing.

Two weeks ago, he applied for his original Chinese martial arts sword book to the "Guinness Book of World Records". At the end of June this year, his sword calligraphy works won the gold medal in the youth category in the "Fourth National Calligraphy and Painting Competition of the Chinese Talent Awards". Today, his martial arts swordsmanship works have spread to the United States, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and other countries and regions, and are collected by CCTV, Shaolin Temple and many art museums (academies).

Da Dao calligraphy is spread all over the world - practicing hard in the snow

Since then, Jin Youliang has worked harder. He began to practice writing on newspapers and old calendars, and also tried using ink instead of mud.

Writing sword writing on paper is not as good as writing on the ground or stone slabs. Using a 40 to 50 centimeter long sword as a pen for practicing calligraphy on paper requires profound skills and superb skills. If you apply too much force, the paper will be scratched; if you apply too much force, the effect will not be achieved. Even the thickness of the paper, the size of the sword, the thickness of the blade and the inclination when writing directly affect the effect of knife writing. The longer and heavier the knife, the more difficult it is to write. If the ink is dipped too much, it will flow; if there is too little ink, the writing will not be smooth. There were times when he even wanted to give up, but thinking of his determination, he persisted again and again.

On summer evenings, he wrote in his room on the top floor, practicing for half a day, with only the fan beside him to accompany him. When it snowed in winter, in order to save ink and paper, he would write on the snow in the courtyard with a machete. When a thin layer of snow falls, write on it with a big knife and then erase it. Another layer falls, write again, erase again, and so on. A few hours passed, and a thick layer of snow fell on the ground next to him, but he was still there wielding a knife and writing. In the winter, his face was covered with sweat and his hair was soaked. When the cold wind blew, his hair turned into "popsicles" and he became an "ice man" in the snow.