Three Cauldron Bookstore Cheng Shifa

Author: Zheng Zhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Excerpt: Humor of Cheng Shifan (Preface) Cheng Shifan, whose surname is Cheng and given name is Tong, is styled as Shifan, meaning "one journey with ten shots." The Shuowen Jiezi states: "Ten shots make a Cheng, ten Chengs make a Fen, ten Fens make a Cun." The character 'fa' refers to the smallest unit in ancient measuring instruments. In history, there are surnamed Cheng with numeric names such as Cheng Qianqiu of the Tang Dynasty, Cheng Qianli of the Song Dynasty, Cheng Jiwan of the Song Dynasty, Cheng Yifeng of the Yuan Dynasty, and Cheng Yizhi of the Ming Dynasty. Whether it is "Shifan" or "Bafan," their quantities are not comparable to these names. The name Shifan was given to him by his teacher Li Zhongqian. Shifan said, "In school, I only had a surname and given name, Cheng Tong, without a courtesy name, so I always carved Cheng Tong on my seal. My teacher found it strange and asked if I had a courtesy name. I said I didn’t, and my teacher gave me one, 'Shifan,' meaning 'ten shots make a Cheng.' From then on, I used Shifan, and my given name became less used." Shifan is a rare talent in the art world. From afar, people admire his paintings and wish to know him; up close, people admire his paintings and understand him. I have known Shifan for nearly forty years and still feel a mix of near and far toward him, so my curiosity about him has not faded. I hope to enter his realm, appreciate his paintings, listen to his words, and understand his heart, so that I may gain true insight into him.
On a chilly afternoon in spring, I traveled west to Jianhe to visit Shifan at his hermitage. Coincidentally, Chen Peiqiu, the head of Gaohua Pavilion, arrived gracefully. The two greeted each other warmly. Gaohua Pavilion had just completed a painting project and had been working tirelessly day and night, leaving him with sore waist and legs. He said to Shifan, "You are the elder, and I am the second, so naturally, I do more work." Shifan replied, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Gaohua Pavilion said, "We are now neighbors. Whenever you need to communicate, just give me a call, and I’ll come over to chat with you." Shifan said, "It should be me who visits you." Gaohua Pavilion replied, "You are the elder, so it should be me who visits you." Shifan said, "No, I will visit you. I will come in three days." Gaohua Pavilion said, "Your hands are shaking less now, and I see that your lines have many new meanings that were not there before." Shifan replied, "I am just full of energy."
In an era when masters are declining, communication is especially precious. During the SARS outbreak, people were in panic. One day, I traveled west again to Jianhe and saw Shifan painting "Herbal Gatherers." Behind the painting was a cluster of bamboo, symbolizing "bamboo reports peace." He inscribed, "Gathering Herbs in the Deep Mountains to Fight SARS." He said, "Everyone is fighting against SARS now. The granddaughter of Li Shizhen has volunteered to fight the enemy. Everyone will be safe." Shifan’s humor comes from his heart, natural and spontaneous, often emerging organically. Trembling hands are an inconvenience for painters, but he can counter it with "full of energy." When an elevator malfunctions and goes up and down endlessly, he calls it "seven ups and eight downs." Beer and soda mixed at a meal are common, but he says, "Drinking it will make you angry () and gassy ()." When drinking yogurt, he says, "You can’t drink too much; drinking too much will have an acrid and sour smell." At the dinner table, Shifan often makes witty remarks that leave people in stitches.
Shifan suffers from asthma and often struggles to breathe. He jokingly says to others, "I have a small lung capacity." Shifan once lived on Gaoyou Road. Those who didn’t know asked, "Where do you live?" He replied, "Salt Egg Road." Because Gaoyou’s salt eggs are famous, the humor comes from the association. A hair salon asked Shifan to inscribe a plaque. He wrote the four characters "You Want to Look Good" with his brush. The owner said, "Absolutely not! The customers will all run away." Unaware of Shifan’s humor.
A painter saw Shifan painting and was impressed by the colors. He asked for some paint. A few days later, Shifan gave him a box of paint and jokingly said, "Let me give you some color to look at." Shifan’s paintings have always been in high demand, and he responds to every request, so his social engagements are unparalleled in the world. A book and calligraphy enthusiast asked Shifan for a painting. Due to his busy schedule, Shifan couldn’t paint it immediately. The seeker said, "I’ve been here seven or eight times already." Shifan jokingly said, "You’re like the Eight Great Mountains (Bashan) of the Ming Dynasty." He wrote this joke on the painting, adding a unique touch.
A banker asked Shifan for a painting. Shifan asked, "Do you understand painting?" The seeker replied, "I don’t understand painting." Shifan said, "If you don’t understand painting, why do you want it?" The seeker replied, "I deal with money during the day and enjoy it at night." Shifan said, "I’m the same. I paint during the day and enjoy it at night. I also have a hobby—I like to look at currency. I like U.S. dollars, British pounds, French francs, and German marks." He treats others as they treat him.
A seeker received a painting from Shifan and returned home. Some people criticized the painting as not being true to form. The seeker returned to Shanghai and explained the situation. Shifan remained calm and composed, and in front of the seeker, he painted a new piece and asked someone to take a photo to preserve it. He sent this painting along with the photo to the seeker. This shows Shifan’s understanding of people and his magnanimity.
Shifan loves his friends and values friendship. Cao Kefan, a famous TV host, was saved from carbon monoxide poisoning after rescue. Shifan comforted him and said, "You won’t die because your name is Cao Kefan. If your name were Cao Bu Fan, you wouldn’t have survived." Shifan, though frail, enjoys football. He has never met Xu Genbao, the football coach, but when Xu Genbao lost to Kuala Lumpur, Shifan sent him a set of "The Art of War" to comfort him with the words, "Victory and defeat are common in warfare." When Xu Genbao opened a football school in Chongming, Shifan went in a wheelchair to celebrate and spent the day playing with the football children. Even the brave have moments, and Shifan knew this well. When Xu Genbao went to Kunming for training, Shifan gave him a painting titled "Late-Blooming Camellia."
One day, Xu Genbao came to visit Shifan. Shifan introduced him to the guest as, "We are brothers." The guest didn’t understand, so Shifan explained, "I paint with my hands, and he plays football with his feet—this is the bond of brothers." Li Hanxiang, a famous Hong Kong film director, was a good friend of Shifan. When Li Hanxiang passed away, Shifan was deeply saddened. He told Cao Kefan, "Do you remember Li Hanxiang? He passed away. These past few nights, I’ve been dreaming about him every day." The depth of his grief for losing a friend is evident in these few words.
Mei Shuyi, a renowned Japanese calligrapher, shared a deep bond with Shifan. Mei held a calligraphy exhibition at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy. On the opening day, it rained heavily and continuously, with very few attendees, making the atmosphere quite cold. For a master of calligraphy from the East, this was somewhat unsatisfactory. Shifan delivered a speech: "It’s raining today, and only fifty or sixty people came. Actually, that’s already quite a lot. In ancient times, Wang Xizhi’s Orchid Pavilion Gathering had only forty-two attendees. Wang Xizhi was the Sage of Calligraphy, and only forty-two people came. There were fifty or sixty people at Mei’s calligraphy exhibition, more than at Wang Xizhi’s." His words were truly remarkable, showing sincere respect and bringing joy to everyone.
Humor in life and art aligns. In the humor of art lies wisdom. Guo Heyang discussed landscape painting with the "three distances": "flat distance, deep distance, and high distance." Shifan said, "One must achieve 'heart distance.' To attain the method of heart distance, the 'three distances' are already included." The Chinese painting world is often passionate, viewing excellent traditions as trash and fiercely criticizing them. Shifan once said to Han Tianqing, a master of stone, ink, calligraphy, and painting, "A car moves forward, but it still needs a rearview mirror." His tone was calm, yet profound.
Regarding the new and the old in art, Shifan often used a tea cup as an analogy: "If you don’t pour out the old tea, how can you brew new tea?" Artistic experience and life experience are interconnected. Applying the insight gained from life to art is the true path to mastering art. Shifan compared artistic creation to building and demolishing houses. His disciple, Mao Guolun, a master of figure painting, remembered his teacher’s words: "Over forty years, I’ve built a house for myself. It was extremely hard. I built the walls not outside the house but inside, like a cocoon. Finally, I finished the roof, and the walls were up to the last brick. When I finally breathed a sigh of relief and celebrated the completion of my work, I found myself trapped inside the house. Only by demolishing part of the house could I survive. So, I demolished the old house and decided to start over, preparing to build a new one."
Over the sixty years of Shifan’s artistic career, he continuously built and dismantled houses. After many hardships, he built three houses: the Xiu Zhu Yuan Shan Lou, the San Fu Shu Wu, and the Jiu Song Shan Zhuang. The first house was built in his hometown, Songjiang, filled with local flavor, emotions, and thoughts. The second house was built at sea, embracing clouds and mist, with the grandeur of "greatness in tolerance." The third house was built across the Pacific, no longer a spectator but a phoenix reborn, refining his soul in his later years to recreate a golden body.