Other Calligraphy in National Palace Museum, part1

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of calligraphy from the Song dynasty! Here, you can explore some of the most beautiful and intricate pieces of Chinese calligraphy. We have a variety of different documents on display here, including an Essay on Calligraphy by Sun Kuo-t'ing, a Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew by Yen Chen-ch'ing, an Autobiography by Huai-su, The Homecoming Ode by Shen Du, "Wu-i ko" Poems by Wang Ch'ung, Yuanhuan by Wang Xizhi, Timely Clearing After Snowfall by Wang Hsi-chih, Three Passages: Ping'an, Heru, and Fengju by Wang Xizhi, Five-character Couplet in Seal Script by Ch'i Pai-shih and Copy from the Ch'un-hua Modelbooks by Liu Yung. Come take a look at these incredible works of art today!

1. Essay on Calligraphy

Sun Kuo-t'ing was a calligraphy artist from Wu-chün. He came from humble beginnings, but eventually served in a high position at court. He was forced to resign from his position after being slandered, and he turned his focus to calligraphy.

2. Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew

Yen Chen-ch'ing's ancestors came from the Shantung area. During the revolt of Li Hsi-lieh, Yen Chen-ch'ing was instructed to bring an imperial communique to the rebels.

3. Autobiography

Huai-su was a monk who originally went by the name Ch'ien Ts'ang-chen. He was born in Ling-ling County, Hunan, but later moved to Ch'ang-sha. Even as a youth, he was interested in Buddhism, eventually taking the tonsure.

4. The Homecoming Ode

Shen Du was a native of Huating (modern Shanghai, also known in ancient times as Yunjian).

5. "Wu-i ko" Poems

Wang Ch'ung was the son of a merchant and studied under Wen Cheng-ming and Ts'ai Yu.

6. Yuanhuan

Wang Xizhi was a skilled calligrapher who was later known as the "Sage of Calligraphy." This piece of calligraphy, called "Xingbie," is a copy made by tracing the original and then filling in the strokes with ink.

7. Timely Clearing After Snowfall

Wang Hsi-chih was a Chinese poet and calligrapher who lived in theShantung province. He was skilled in many different styles of brush writing, and is known for creating his own unique style by combining elements of different scripts.

8. Three Passages: Ping'an, Heru, and Fengju

Wang Xizhi, a famous calligrapher of the Eastern Jin period, established the paragons for modern cursive and running scripts. His letters "Ping'an" and "Heru" are mounted together with the "Fengju" letter in the late Ming dynasty (1368-16

9. Five-character Couplet in Seal Script

Ch'i Pai-shih was a Chinese artist who was born in Hsiang-t'an in Hunan province. He studied carpentry as a youth and excelled at wood sculpture. At 26, he began to study calligraphy, painting, poetry, and seal carving.

10. Copy from the Ch'un-hua Modelbooks