Zhao Ziqian's Calligraphy Based on Northern Stele Scripts

Author: Shanghai Shuxue Press
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Publishing Date: 2002-06-01
Features: The Calligraphy of Zhao Ziqian on Northern Stele is one of the classic ink works series in China. The content of this series focuses on representative works of influential calligraphers in China's history, whose scripts hold a significant position in the history of Chinese calligraphy and remain exemplary andative to this day. This book aims to enhance learners' interest in copying stele scripts, guiding them quickly to enter the practical realm, combining learning with application, and is worth referencing, studying, and using for learners of calligraphy. The book primarily records the calligraphy collection of Zhao Ziqian. This learning format, along with the strengths of various practice formats while avoiding their shortcomings, selects and compiles classical passages and couplets based on practical needs. This increases learners' interest in copying stele scripts, enabling them to quickly master the structural principles and writing methods of Chinese characters. It is a currently practical and valuable approach to learning calligraphy.
Zhao Ziqian played a pivotal role in the development of Chinese calligraphy, bridging the past and the future and exerting a profound influence on later generations. His calligraphy exudes a majestic and grandeur, with horizontal strokes light and vertical strokes heavy, displaying strong and robust power with thickness. In terms of structure, his works are upright and dense, with angular elements hinting at circularity. Vertical strokes curve slightly inward, combining firmness with flexibility, creating a sense of elasticity. The heavy, well-balanced strokes with a centered force further enhance the beauty of his calligraphy—vast, round, and profound.
This book enhances learners' interest in copying stele scripts, enabling them to quickly grasp the structural principles and writing methods of Chinese characters, making it a practical and valuable approach to learning calligraphy. It is worth learning from and referencing for learners. The book fosters learners' interest in copying stele scripts, guiding them quickly into practical application, and through the method of combining learning with application, achieves twice the result with half the effort.
Zhao Ziqian (1829–1884), originally named Huifu, styled Lengjun, later changed his name to Bei’an, also known as Wumen and Hanziao, was from Xiling, Zhejiang. He was born in the ninth year of the Daoguang reign (1839) and died in the tenth year of the Guangxu reign (1884) at the age of fifty-six. Zhao Ziqian was born into a merchant family in Shaoxing, with his ancestors owning substantial land. At the age of fifteen, his elder brother lost a lawsuit, leading to the family's bankruptcy. Despite this, Zhao was gifted and loved learning from a young age. Later, he developed a strong interest in inscriptions, seals, calligraphy, and painting, and studied under his hometown scholar Shen Fucan. After the age of twenty, he served as a clerk under Miao Ziqian, the Zhejiang Provincial Inspection Commissioner, improving his financial situation and frequently traveling to famous mountains and rivers. Occasionally, he sold calligraphy and painting to support himself. In the ninth year of the Xianfeng reign (1859), he passed the provincial examination, coinciding with the Taiping Rebellion. The next year, Hangzhou fell, and his wife died during the chaos, deeply grieved, Zhao changed his name to Bei’an.
In the first year of the Tongzhi reign (1862), he failed the imperial examination in Beijing. During his four years in the capital, Shen Shuyong, Hu Shu, and Wei Xicheng discussed the study of inscriptions and seals, completing A Supplement to the Collection of Stele Records in five volumes and A Record of Six Dynasties Calligraphy, as well as compiling Double-Tracker Han Steles from Erjin's Studio in ten volumes. In the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign, he traveled to Taizhou and Huangyan, participating in multiple imperial examinations but failing to pass. At fifty, he was appointed as the magistrate of Po'an County in Jiangxi through a donation of office. Later, he served as the magistrate of Fengxin County and Nancheng County. During this period, he completed A Collection of Two Thousand and Seven Hundred and Twenty-Nine Cranes. In the tenth year of the Guangxu reign, the Sino-French War broke out, and Zhao died from exhaustion while overseeing the repair of city walls in Nancheng County.