Differences and similarities in the calligraphy of the four schools of the Song Dynasty and their analyses

Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang are known as the calligraphers who best represent the calligraphic achievements of the Song Dynasty, and are known as the Four Families of the Song Dynasty.

Su Shi

Su Shi (1037-1101), the word Zizhan, the name of Dongpo Jushi, Meishan, Sichuan. He was a famous writer, calligrapher and painter of the Northern Song Dynasty. Poetry to open a bold school, for the Tang and Song dynasty, one of the eight major. Su Shi (1037-1101) was a native of Meishan (now part of Sichuan), known as Zizhan (子瞻), or Dongpo Jushi (东坡居士). He, his father Su Xun, and his younger brother Su Zhe were famous for their poetry and literature, and were known as the "Three Su".

Su Shi was a young man of great talent, and was well versed in history and economics. In 1057, he graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Song Jiayou University, and served as a minister in the Ministry of Ceremonies and as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. He had a rough life and was banished many times. He was reused by Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, but because of the old and new party disputes, he was repeatedly demoted and served as a local official in Hangzhou, Mizhou, Xuzhou, Huzhou, etc.; and because of his poem "Slander against the government", he was framed and imprisoned. After his release from prison, he was relegated to Huangzhou. Since then, after several ups and downs, and then relegated to Huizhou, Qiongzhou, has been far to Danzhou (now Dan County, Hainan), from then on, as the case may be, living a reading and painting of the late life. Until the Yuanfu three years (1100), Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty, he was pardoned and returned to the north. He died in Changzhou in July of the first year of the Jianzhongjingguo era (1101).

Su Shi was a man of integrity, open-mindedness, talent, poetry and literature, but also very good at calligraphy and painting, his calligraphy from the "two kings", Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Chu Suiliang, Xu Hao, Li Beihai, Yang Ningshi draws nourishment from the various families, in the inheritance of tradition on the basis of the efforts to innovate. He spoke of his own calligraphy creation process, said: "the law of the word, the knowledge of the shallow see narrow learning insufficient, the three ultimately can not be all wonderful, I am the heart of the eye and hand all get it." He also said: "I book meaning to create this can't, point and draw the hand annoying push." He emphasized in the writing of the "intention", sentimental in the "letter hand" of the book of the point of painting. Su Shi's characters seem to be plain and simple, but there is an oceanic and volatile atmosphere, just like his profound learning, the Dragon changes unpredictable. He was good at running script and regular script, and his penmanship was rich in flesh and bones, with a natural tumble, giving people the artistic beauty of "the air of the sea wind and waves" and "the shape of ancient hewers and strange stones". Su Shi's calligraphy was highly praised by later generations. Huang Tingjian said in his "valley set": "its book posture charming ...... to wine sound waves, meaning to forget the work, the word special thin and strong ...... to the pen round and rhyme wins, hostage to the article wonderful world, loyalty and righteousness through the sun and the moon of the gas, this dynasty good book, should be pushed (Su) for the first". Ming Dong Qichang praised him "all with a positive edge, is Po Gong's Lanting also". He is also known for his "Former Red Cliff Fugue", "Huangzhou Cold Food Poem Poster", "Dongting Spring Colors Fugue", and "Zhongshan Pine and Mash Fugue", among others.

Works Appreciation:

The Former Red Cliff Fugue

Northern Song Dynasty Su Shi regular script. Ink scroll on plain paper. Vertical 23.9 centimeters, M258 centimeters. Characters *** Sixty-six lines. The first five lines of thirty-six characters are missing and were added by Wen Zhengming of the Ming Dynasty. Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

On the 16th day of the 7th month of the 5th year of Emperor Shenzong's reign (1082), Su Shi and his friends took a boat trip to visit the Red Cliffs outside the city of Chou, and thought of the Battle of Red Cliffs in the Three Kingdoms era in which Sun Quan broke Cao Cao's army more than 800 years ago, and then wrote "Red Cliffs" to express his views on the universe and life. In October of the same year, he revisited the Red Cliff, and wrote another article, "After the Red Cliff", which has been widely recited in later generations and is a famous masterpiece in the history of literature. This volume is a friend Fu Yao Yu (1024 ~ 1091) book before the Red Cliff , self-recognition: "last year to make this", so we know that it is the Yuanfeng six years book, when forty-eight years old.

This volume in regular script, short and flat and tight knot, rich and heavy ink and brush, Su Shi is a rare work of intent in his middle age. Shiqu Baoji: the volume is seven inches and five minutes high, seven feet and two inches and five minutes across. After the volume has Wen Zhengming, Dong Qichang and other people trek, Dong trek said: "Mr. Dong Po this Fu Chusao one of the changes, this book "Lanting" one of the changes." Also said: "this chibi fugu Shu several so-called want to penetrate the back of the paper, is all with the positive front, is the Po Gong's 'lanting' also." This posting of ancient connotation, not ordinary su shi calligraphy can be compared.

Huangzhou cold food poetry post

Huangzhou cold food poetry post Su Shi wrote poetry and book, ink on plain paper, 34.2 centimeters across, 18.9 centimeters in length, seventeen lines in running script, 129 words, is now hidden in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, said to be stored in private hands in Taiwan. No paragraph and year, in fact, written in the Song Shenzong Yuanfeng five years (A.D. 1082), at that time Su Shi because of the Song dynasty's largest textual prison, "Wutai Poetry Case" by the new party exclusion, relegated to Huangzhou regimentation of the Deputy Secretary, in the spirit of loneliness, depression, life on the poor and downtrodden, in the relegation of Huangzhou third year of the cold food festival, made a two pentameter poem:

Since I came to Huangzhou, has passed the three cold food. Every year, I want to cherish the spring, but I can't cherish it when it's gone. This year, there is bitter rain again, two months of autumn depression. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get a good deal on this, but I'm sure I'll be able to get a good deal on this. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to be able to do it, and I'm going to be able to do it.

The spring river wants to enter the house, the rain is coming. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a new one, and you'll be able to do that. The empty kitchen cooks cold dishes, broken stove burns wet reeds. I don't know if it's the cold food, but I can see the crows are holding the paper. Your door is nine kilometers deep, and your grave is ten thousand miles away. I'm going to cry, but I can't afford to blow the ashes of the dead.

Huangzhou Cold Food Poem Poster shows the momentum, overflowing with ups and downs of emotions. The poem is written in a bleak and despondent manner, and the calligraphy is precisely in this mood and situation, with feelings. Throughout the ups and downs, swift and steady, painfully, all in one breath. Su Shi will be the changes in the emotional state of the poem, allegory in the changes in the line of the point of painting, or front, or side of the front, the conversion of the change, the hand breaks the link, all natural. Its knot word is also strange, or big or small, or sparse or dense, light and heavy, wide and narrow, unevenly spaced, wanton and strange, changing in thousands of ways. No wonder Huang Tingjian for the waist, sighed: "Dongpo this poem like Li Taibai, I am afraid that Taibai has not been everywhere. This book and Yan Lugong, Yang Shaoshi, Li Xitai pen intention, try to make Dongpo again, may not be and this." ("Huangzhou cold food poem trek") Dong Qichang also has a trek praise cloud: "Yu life to see Mr. Dong Po no less than thirty volumes of real works, will be this for the A view". Huangzhou cold food poetry post" is su shi calligraphy works in the top, in the history of calligraphy has a great impact, yuan chosun yushu called it after wang xizhi "lanting preface", yan zhenqing "nephew sacrifice manuscript" after "the world's third line of calligraphy".

The Four Families of the Song Dynasty

Huang Tingjian

Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) was a poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was a poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was a poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty, and was admitted to the Imperial College in the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Yingzong (1067). In the third year of Xining of Emperor Shenzong (1070), Wang Anshi was the prime minister, and the implementation of the new law was fiercely opposed by the conservative faction led by Sima Guang. The struggle between the old and new parties intensified and continued until the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. In this struggle, Huang Tingjian stood on the side of the old party, although he did not actively participate in this struggle, but his life has been involved in the whirlpool of the struggle.

Huang Tingjian was born under the tutelage of Su Shi, and Zhang Lai, Qin Guan, and Chao Jianzhi, known as the "Four Bachelors of the Su Gate", and later became known as Su Shi, known as "Su Huang". His most important achievement was poetry. His poetic theories were modeled on Du Fu's, but he emphasized the importance of reading and researching, and the newness of the old, "not a word without a place to come from" and the theory of "transforming the bones of the body, turning iron into gold". He had a great influence in the Song Dynasty and created the Jiangxi School of Poetry. He was also an expert in lyrics, as well as in running and cursive script.

Calligraphy at the beginning of Zhou Yue as a teacher, and then take the law of Yan Zhenqing and Huaisu, by the influence of Yang Ningshi, especially in the "healed storks inscription", the penmanship to the side of the risk to take the trend, vertical and horizontal strange stubborn, open font, penmanship, thin, strong, a style of its own. The Song History - Literary Garden Biography said that he: "Tingjian's learning and writing, the nature of the day, Chen Shidao said that his poems are in the style of Du Fu, good at cursive writing, the regular script is also self-contained. With Zhang Lei, Chao Jianzhi and Qin Guan, he traveled to the door of Su Shi, and was known as the Four Bachelor." He himself said, "I have been learning cursive for more than thirty years, and at the beginning I took Zhou Yue as my teacher, so I have been shaking the vulgarity for twenty years and not getting rid of it. Late Su Caiweng, Zi Mei book to see, is to get the ancient penmanship. Afterwards, he got Zhang Xu, Huai Su, and Gao Xian ink, and was able to see the beauty of the brushwork." His famous calligraphic works include "Poem of Pine Wind Pavilion", "Cold Food Poem Treated in Huangzhou", "Flowering Air Smoking People Post", "Poem of Hong County" and so on.

Works Appreciation:

Pine Wind Pavilion Poetry Post

Pine Wind Pavilion Poetry Post is a seven-character poem composed by Huang Tingjian and written in ink on paper, 32.8 centimeters long and 219.2 centimeters across, with 29 lines of 153 characters. Taipei Palace Museum collection.

Song Feng Pavilion in Ezhou City, Hubei Province, west of the West Mountain near the Lingquan Temple, more than 160 meters above sea level, the ancient name of Fan Mountain, is the year Sun Quan lecture on martial arts and repair, feasts and sacrifices to the sky place. Song Huizong Chongning first year (1102) in September, Huang Tingjian and his friends tour E City Fanshan, passing through the pine forest between a pavilion, spend the night here, listen to the pine waves and rhyme." The "Poem on Pine Wind Pavilion" is a poem about the scenery he saw at that time and expresses his nostalgia for his friend. Pine Wind Pavilion Poem Post" is the work of Huang Tingjian in his later years, Huang Tingjian created hundreds of fine works of running script in his life, of which the most famous one is "Pine Wind Pavilion Poem Post". Its wind and god, the long wave of big apostrophe, mentioning the ups and downs, a wave of three twists and turns, full of rhyme, not less than the Thuyi "lanting", straight to the Yan's "nephew sacrifice", can be called the line of the boutique of the book.

"Song Fengge Poetry Post" by Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Song Dynasty to the people's collection, and then returned to Jia Sidao, and iteratively through the top of the Ming Yuanbian, Qing Anqi, and into the Qing Dynasty Palace. Qing dynasty during the Daoguang period this post has been to E Wang Jiabi (Xiaofeng) hands. Wang Jiabi in the twenty-fourth year of the Daoguang (1844) in the earth, awarded the Ministry of war, Shuntian (Hebei) township test honorary record officer, will be examined by the officer's position, take the post of the right, have the intention to collect to the Ezhou of the old things Huang Tingjian "Pine Wind Pavilion Poetry Scrolls" and the Song dynasty Cai Xiang ink and other cultural relics of the past, carry back to Ezhou. Daoguang catechist Ke Maozhi title "Huang Shanyu Pine Wind Pavilion Poetry Volume and Preface" preface said: "Wang Xiaofeng Wu got this volume in Liu Jun Lvchen, cover the Yuan Dynasty Princess of the family belongings, on the famous Xian dozens of poems trekking, but also often for the Li Tianlai Pavilion with the collection of the item ZiJing Bian Ling's private seal is especially, inquire about Hsi's treasure. The end is not signed Fulong (valley) name, paper color, silk color still feel good, but the spirit is bright, is not a phoenix. Wuchang (Ezhou) passes Fulong to Songfengge a poem, but the cabinet from time to time abolished, poetry for the world **** alone, this a treasure, after several dynasties into our eup eup ShiDaFu hand, the edge of the mountain pen and ink is not accidental. Love to play for a long time, for the second original rhyme to give its thing, when Xianfeng nine years (1859) spring March."

The Flowering Air and Smoking People Post

Huang Tingjian's Flowering Air and Smoking People Post is in cursive script, on paper. Now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. On the post is the seal of the Southern Song Dynasty, which is the "treasure of the Hall of Xixi", and it has been in the Southern Song Dynasty's inner palace. There is also a famous Qing Dynasty great collector An Yi Zhou's collection of seal Anqi.

The Four Families of the Song Dynasty

Mi Fu

Mi Fu (1051-1107) was known as Yuanzhang (元章), Xiangyang Man Shi (襄阳漫士), Haiyue Wai Shi (海岳外史), and Lumeng Jushi (鹿門居士). He was born in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and later settled in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. He was known as "Mi Bian" because of his strange personality and wild behavior, and he called himself "Brother" when he encountered a stone and worshipped it incessantly. He was made a doctor of calligraphy and painting by Emperor Huizong, and was known as "Mi Nan Guan" (Mi Nan Guan). Able to write and write in poetry, good at calligraphy and painting, and a fine connoisseur, Mi Fu was a painter, connoisseur, and collector, and he was one of the first of the "Four Song Calligraphers". He was the first of the "Four Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty". His style of calligraphy was elegant and unrestrained, and he was strict with the laws and regulations. The Song History - Literary Garden Biography said: "Fu special skill in ink, Shen Zhufei, Wang Xianzhi pen intention."

Mi Fu was the most accomplished calligrapher of all time. When he was a young man, he studied the Tang Regular Script of Yan, Liu, Ou, and Chu, laying down a solid foundation. When Su Shi was relegated to Huangzhou, he visited him for instruction, and Dong Po advised him to study Jin. Starting in the fifth year of Yuanfeng (1082), Mi Fu studied Wei and Jin, taking the Jin style of calligraphy as a reference, and searched for a number of Jin posters, and even named his study "Bao Jin Zhai". Wang Xianzhi's ink manuscript, "Mid-Autumn Post," is said to be his copy, and the form and spirit are exquisite. In his later years, Mi Fu wrote "Self Description", saying, "When I first learned to write, I first learned to write walls, and I was seven or eight years old. The word to a large picture, write a simple not, see the willow and admire its tight knot, is to learn willow "Diamond Sutra". For a long time, I know that it is out of Europe, is to learn Europe. For a long time, such as printing plate row calculation, is Mu Chu and learn the longest, and Mo Duan quarter turn fat, all eight sides. For a long time, I felt that Duan Quan Ze show "Lanting", then and see the post, into the Jin and Wei bland, abandon Zhong Fang and Shi Shi Yi Gong, "Liu Kuan monument" is also. Seal will love "Tsui Chu", "Shi Gu Wen". And realize that the bamboo brief to bamboo I line lacquer, and tripod inscription wonderful ancient." Mi Fu describes his work as a "collection of ancient characters" and has a deep understanding of the brushwork, style, and rhythm of the ancient masters, which to a certain extent indicates that Mi Fu studied calligraphy with a great deal of effort in the tradition. Mi Fu was not involved in the political whirlpool, and lived a relatively stable life. Later, when he became a doctor of calligraphy and painting, he was well versed in the internal collection of books, and familiar with the stories of thousands of years, and the gains and losses of the ancients, as if he were counting them in his family's pocket.

Mi Fu is famous for his calligraphy, and his achievements come entirely from the hard work of the acquired, Mi Fu every day, the pool of incessant, historical records: "a day without the book, will feel the thought of astringent, think of the ancients have not tasted half a moment to abolish the book."" Zhiyong inkstone into a mortar, is able to the right army (Wang Xizhi), if the penetration of the beginning of the Zhong (Carefree), Suo (Jing) also, can be encouraged forever." His son, Mi Youren, said he did not forget to write even on the first day of the year. (According to Sun Zubai, "Mi Fu Mi Youren"). Mi Fu was very serious about writing, and said himself, "She wrote the Haidai Poem three or four times, between one or two good words, and the letter of the book is also a difficult thing" (Ming Fan Mingtai, "Mi Xiangyang outside the record"). A poem, written three or four times, there are only one or two words of their own satisfaction, which the pain and suffering of non-experts can not be said, but also can be seen in his creative attitude of rigor.

Mi Fu's calligraphy is one of the four great masters of the Song Dynasty, after Su Dongpo and Huang Tingjian, and before Cai Xiang. However, regardless of the influence of Su Dongpo's status as a writer and Huang Tingjian as the leader of the Jiangxi School of Poetry, Mi Fu's traditional skills are the most profound in terms of the art of calligraphy, especially in the running script, which is the right-hand side of the two. Dong Qichang of the Ming Dynasty, "Essays on Painting Zen Rooms," said: "I tasted the rice word, thought the first Song Dynasty, after all, out of the Dongpo above. That is, Mi Bengshu since the rate of more than the late years of a change, there is ice cold in the water of the strange." The emperor's inquiry calligraphy, Mi Fu called himself "brush word", Ming Li self-effacing and real point to the essence of the "brush word", reflecting his pen swift and strong, as much as possible to do their best. His calligraphy works, from large poems and posters to small documents and inscriptions, are all characterized by pain, interjection and variation, robustness and freshness. From the nearly 60 surviving handwritings of Mi Fu, the word "brush" expresses the vigor of Mi's character, no wonder Su Dongpo said, "Mi's calligraphy is superbly elegant." It is also said that "Haiyue's calligraphy in seal script, clerical script, genuine script, running script, and cursive script, is as impressive as that of Zhong Zhong's. It is as calm and quick as that of Zhong Zhong's. His composure and painstakingness are on a par with that of Zhong Wang. He was not only worthy of it." Mi Fu's calligraphy had a far-reaching influence, especially at the end of the Ming Dynasty, with many scholars, such as Wen Zhengming, Zhu Yunming, Chen Chun, Xu Wei, Wang Juesi, Fu Shan, and so on, all of whom took a "heart" from Mizi, an influence that continues to the present.

Mi Fu's calligraphy has reached a very high standard, and he has written many treatises on calligraphy. He wrote "History of Calligraphy", "Haiyue Famous Quotations", "Baozhang to be visited", and "Commentary on Character Postings". Showing his excellent courage and sophisticated appreciation, he ridiculed and depreciated many of his predecessors, but never because of the ancient language, for successive generations of calligraphers, but also a lot of overstatement, cynical Yan Liu, depreciation of Xusu Su, and harshly fault-finding. Mi Fu's ink masterpieces mainly include "Campsis Poetry Volume," "Shusu Post," "Fangyuanan Records," and "Pegasus Fugue," while the number of calligraphic sketches is especially high.

Mi Fu is good at ink landscape, known as "Mi Yunshan", but Mi Fu paintings do not exist. However, the only painting that can be seen at present is hardly a "Mi painting" in the true sense of the word - "Coral Brush Holder", which depicts a coral brush holder, with the word "Jin Sit" written on the left side of the holder. Then, with the addition of the meter point and the inscription, the landscape of the Mi family came out. Mi Fu's painting instead of writing is quite interesting.

Works:

The Coral Post

Mi Fu's "Coral Post," in running script. Also known as "coral brushwork" "coral post", "Fuguan post" attached to "coral post", also known as "coral Fuguan two post". Ink on paper, respectively, 26.6cm longitudinal, 47.1cm horizontal; longitudinal 27.1cm, 49.9cm horizontal. the Palace Museum in Beijing.

This post is the famous running script of Mi Fu in his later years, his book compared to the previous works of the middle age, the word is particularly strange and superb, random and book, the charm of nature, and the use of rich and fat and robust, wide and sparse. Such as the Yuan Dynasty Yu Ji commented: "the spirit of the flying, the sinews and bones of the male, and the Jin Wei law from the whole also", the Yuan Dynasty Shi Guangyuan said that "when the rice book of the heart of the best, the world's first post".

"Coral post" with the writing material is also very special, with the bamboo paper, light yellow, bamboo fiber bundles on the paper more. It is said that this is the earliest work found to date written on bamboo paper.

"Coral post" once the southern song dynasty, yuan GuoTianXi, JiZongYuan, ShiGuangYuan, XiaoJiXin, qing dynasty LiangQingBiao, WangHongXu, AnQi, yong [WangXing], PeiBeQian hand collection. Later returned to Zhang Boju, who donated it to the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Ministry of Culture in 1956 and allocated it to the National Palace Museum for collection. Ink edge Hui Guan", "the life of the spectacular", "clouds and smoke through the eyes of the record", "Daguan record", "Zhuang Taoge calligraphy and painting record" recorded.

Shu Su Post

Mi Fu's "Shu Su Post," also known as "Ancient Poetry Post," is written in ink on silk, in running script. Vertical 29.7 centimeters, horizontal 284.3 centimeters; written in the first three years of Song Zhezong (1088), when Mi Fu was thirty-eight years old, **** book of eight poems of his own in various styles, with 71 lines and 658 characters, signed by (黻款).

Shu Su is a fine silk fabric made in Sichuan during the Northern Song Dynasty, with a silk bar woven on it. A man named Shao Zizhong section of Shu Su mounted into a volume, in order to wait for the famous artist to leave the treasure, because the silk fabric texture Luo rough, stagnant and difficult to write, it is not the deep power dare not ask for. Shu Su post" by the Song dynasty Huzhou (Zhejiang cut ┛な亓窒J詹囟囟? presents mantle? In August of the third year, Mi Fu was invited by Lin Xi to visit Campsite Creek near Taihu Lake. Lin Xi took out the Shu Su volume of his collection, and Mi Fu wrote it, and he wrote eight poems in one breath. Several of the poems in the scroll were written as farewells. The end of the scroll is inscribed "Yuan 喑剑? The end of the volume is signed with "Yuan Zhuge Jian? The first one is about the same as the second one, and the second one is about the same as the third one.

Shu Su Post was written on the Limpopo caries poupou, a collection of royal coriander, and the name of the book is "The Arthraxon", which is the name of the book. The room partner threw arthraxon? The first time I saw this, it was a very good idea to get a copy of the book. What's the best thing to do? Seal Script Seal Script" Script! Script What's the name of the program? What? What's the name of the post script? What's the problem? Nettle C total brand cap's eight sides out of the front", unpredictable. This post with a variety of pen, positive side of the hide and expose, length and thickness, physical appearance of a million, fully embodies his "brush the word" unique style. Because of Shu Su rough, book when full strength, so Dong Qichang in the "Shu Su post" after the trembling said: "this volume such as a lion wrestling with an elephant, with full force, when the cooperation for life". In addition, due to the silk fabric is not easy to ink and more withered pen, so that the ink color is thick and light, such as thirsty steed running spring, more wonderful and moving.

"Shu Su post" in the Ming dynasty to Xiang Yuanbian, Dong Qichang, Wu Ting and other famous collectors, the Qing dynasty fell into the hands of Gao Shiqi, Wang Hongxu, Fu Heng, and then into the Qing dynasty, the interior, is now stored in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

The Four Families of the Song Dynasty

Cai Xiang

Cai Xiang (1012-1067), courtesy name Junmu, was a native of Xinghua (present-day Xianyou, Fujian). In the eighth year of the Tian Sheng era (1030), Cai Xiang was a scholar who successively served in the central government of the Song dynasty as an investigator of the Pavilion, an advisor to the Academy of Remonstrance, a director of the Historical Museum, an enquirer of the system, a direct disciple of the Longtugu Pavilion, a direct disciple of the Pavilion of Privy Counselors, a disciple of the Hanlin Academy, an envoy of the Three Secretaries of Departments, a disciple of the Temple of Enlightenment, and an envoy of the Fujian Provincial Government, who knew the prefectures of Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Kaifeng, and Hangzhou. Cai Xiang died as a minister of the Ministry of Rites, and his posthumous title was "Zhonghui". Cai Xiang was a loyal and truthful person, who was a man of faith and profound knowledge. In the history of calligraphy, when it comes to Song Dynasty calligraphy, there are four major calligraphers, namely Su, Huang, Mi and Cai, who are regarded as the typical representatives of Song Dynasty calligraphy style. Among the "Four Song Calligraphers", the first three are Su Shi (Dongpo), Huang Tingjian (Fulong) and Mi Fu (Xiangyang Man Shi). Among the four Song masters, Cai Xiang's age and seniority should be before Su, Huang and Mi. From the calligraphic style, Su Wu rich and tumbling; Huang Tingjian vertical and horizontal argosy rise; Mi Fu handsome and bold, their style of writing their own style, Su, Huang, and Mi are to the cursive, regular, and like to write the rules and regulations of the regular script, or Cai Xiang. Cai Xiang's calligraphy is thick and dignified, simple and light and beautiful, and it is in a class of its own. The exhibition volume of Cai Xiang's calligraphy, feel a ray of spring breeze on the face, full of Yan Li Wen Ya breath.

Cai Xiang's calligraphy was highly regarded and highly acclaimed by the people of his time during his lifetime, and Su Dongpo and Ouyang Xiu were among the first to praise his calligraphy. Su Dongpo pointed out in his Dongpo Inscription: "Cai Junmu's talent was both high and deep, and his heart and hands were in sync with each other, and his metamorphosis was infinite, so he was the first of his kind in this dynasty. However, his running script was the best, his lowercase script was second, and his cursive script was second....... He also made the intention to make flying white, and said that he had the momentum of the soaring dragon and the dancing phoenix, and those who were aware of the situation did not think that it was too much."" Ouyang Xiu's evaluation of Cai Xiang's calligraphy is really to the point of no return: Ouyang Xiu said: "Since the death of Su Zimei, so I feel that the penmanship in the end. In recent years, Cai Xiang's calligraphy has been the only one in the world, but he has been modest and unwilling to join the league." (Ouyang Wenzhong Gongji) （Huang Tingjian also said, "Su Zimei and Cai Junmu are both great masters of ink and writing." (Shangu Wenji) In Mengxi Bianan, Shen Kuo, a scientist of the Northern Song Dynasty, commented on Cai Xiang's cursive writing, saying, "Cursive writing with a loose brush is called loose cursive, or flying cursive, and its methods are all born in Feibai, which is its own family. The ancient rhyme of Zhang Xu and Huai Su is stored, and there is the trend of the wind and clouds, but also the ancient meaning of the longhand and rich."

Song History - Cai Xiang's Biography says of him, "Xiang's skill in handwriting was the first of its kind in the world, and Emperor Renzong especially loved it." Xu will "Cai Xiang biography," said: "Gong in painting and calligraphy quite self-conscience, do not presume to be a person, its broken chapter remnants of manuscripts people are treasured, Renzong especially love to say." Zhu Changwen "renewed book breaks": Cai Xiang book quite since the weight, not light for the book, and people's ruled documents, people all hide as treasure. Emperor Renzong loved its traces of ...... and bachelor wrote "Empress Wincheng monument" text, the edict of the book, Junmu resignation refused to book, said: 'This is to be imperial decree also. Confucian work book, so since the rest of Yan Yan only, if a skillful man servitude?

From the above three records, we can know that Cai Xiang calligraphy from the emperor to the ordinary people are very cherish. As he was quite self-conscious, he did not write for others, so there are fewer works in the world. In addition, it can be seen that at that time, the atmosphere of the calligraphy world has completely turned to the poetry and documents, and the book tablet is regarded as a skillful man to do things for the scholarly men who do not care for, and even the emperor's edicts can not be swayed by it. This is fundamentally different from the situation before the Tang Dynasty.

Cai Xiang was not a master who established a school. On the whole, his calligraphy still adheres to the laws of the Jin and Tang dynasties, and his sense of innovation is slightly inferior. But he was an indispensable figure in the development of Song calligraphy. With his own complete calligraphic achievements, he built a skillful bridge between the Jin and Tang laws and the interests of the Song people. Cai Xiang's heirloom ink writings include "Self-scripted Poetry Post", "Thank You for Giving Imperial Poetry", as well as a variety of ink writings of "Tao Sheng Post", "Suburb Burnt Post", "Meng Hui Post", and monumental inscriptions, such as the "Wan'an Bridge Record", "Day Jin Tang Record" and the "Forgetting to Return to the Stone," "Guoshi Rock" and other treasures of the regular script of the Lingyuan Cave in Gushan Mountain.

Self-inscribed Poetry Scroll

Cai Xiang's "Self-inscribed Poetry Scroll," on plain paper, 28.2 centimeters longitudinally and 221.1 centimeters horizontally. In the Palace Museum.

This post is part of Cai Xiang's poetry manuscript, *** recording eleven poems. The content includes "South Jianzhou taro Yang store see peach blossoms in the waxing moon", "the wall of the house of the scholar in the book collection", "the title of the monks of the Longji residence room", "the title of the South Jianzhou Yanping Pavilion", "since the fishery and Liang stage to the Quzhou snow have a wistfulness", "the stone bridge outside the Ningyue gate of Fuzhou to see the evening illumination of the western mountains", "Hangzhou, Linping Jingyansi West Xuan", "the night of the Shungde Park sends the fujian Tidings Zhang Tuntian Siqian Tang spring month and tour", "Jiahe county occasional book", "Wuxi County Hanging Fudu day opened", "that is, the Huishan spring boils the tea", and so on.

Self-inscribed poems were written in the second year of the Emperor (1056), when he was summoned from Fujian to return to Bianjing (the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, present-day Kaifeng, Henan Province) in the middle of the process. At the age of 40 years old, is not confused, middle-aged with, late or not to hide the pleasure. Between the strokes, one can see the lightness of mind. Throughout the smooth and natural, calm and dignified, elegant and elegant, meaningful. The first line of the first line with regular script, very intentional, gradually smooth and unrestrained, overflow into the cursive, and finally waved for the small grass, the more later the more dashing and free, so later people said: "the first small line of this public calligraphy".

Cai Xiang "Wan'an Bridge", regular script. Luoyang Bridge, formerly known as the Wan'an Bridge, is on the Luoyang River in Luoyang Town, Licheng District, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. Since the estuary of Luoyang River used to be called Wan'an Ferry, the locals also called Luoyang Bridge as Wan'an Bridge. Luoyang Bridge was built by Cai Xiang, the governor of Quanzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty. Construction began in the fifth year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1053) and was completed in six years and eight months. The bridge was built at the confluence of the river and the sea, the water was wide and the waves were fast, so the project was very difficult. At that time, the working people pioneered the "raft foundation" to build piers, and invented the "colonial oyster solid foundation". To solidify the bridge foundation. So that the travelers "to go to the boat and hiking, easy to danger for safety". Luoyang Bridge scale is magnificent, the original length of 1,200 meters, 5 meters wide, 46 piers, bridge railing columns 500, 28 stone lions, 7 stone pavilions, 5 stone towers. The existing bridge is 834 meters long and 7 meters wide. Remaining boat-shaped piers 31. Luoyang Bridge attached to a lot of cultural relics, the most notable is the bridge south of the "Zhonghui Cai Gong Shrine", Cai Xiang authored and pro-script "Wan'an Bridge" monument, this monument is not only dignified and calm calligraphy, and the text is concise, detailed carving, known as the text, book, engraved "three greats".

Wan'an bridge record

"Wan'an bridge record" full ***153 words, written in italics, recorded the time of the bridge, the age, the bridge length and width, the cost of silver, the characters involved in, etc., engraved in two monuments, each monument is 2.89 meters high, 1.46 meters wide, 0.3 meters thick, the monument word is divided into six lines, each word is 1.8 centimeters long, 1.5 centimeters wide, the existing monument engraving has two One is damaged, in 1963 to copy the original re-engraving; the other for the Northern Song dynasty original engraving, the original open cliff engraved in the left bank, Xuanhe between (1119-1125 years) by the city of Quanzhou in the Hublot Department for the governor of Cai Xiang's great-grandson of Cai Huan topography re-engraving stood in the ancestral temple. Wan'anqiaoji" monument for the Luoyang Bridge to add a lot of glory.

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