Huang Tingjian's Cursive Script · Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru

Author: Liu Zhengcheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book is a representative work of the Song Dynasty calligrapher Huang Tingjian's long scroll in cursive script, holding extremely high artistic value. The cursive script "Biography of Lian Po and Jun Xiangru" is one of Huang Tingjian's masterpieces. "Biography of Lian Po and Jun Xiangru" is a famous chapter in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian," narrating the story of Jun Xiangru, the prime minister of Zhao during the Warring States period, who "prioritized the urgent needs of the state over personal grievances." Huang Tingjian chose to write this piece mainly out of admiration for the character of Lian and Jun. In his "Ode to Bamboo by Liu Mingzhong," Huang Tingjian wrote, "The bones of Lian and Jun have turned to dust, yet they still exude an aura of vitality." In "A Discussion on Li Zui's Name Xiangru," it is said, "Jun Xiangru risked death a thousand times to help Zhao repel Qin, yet returned to yield to Lian Po, earning a reputation as weighty as Mount Tai." Huang Tingjian's writing of this biography also served as a critique of the turbulent Yuan You political scene at the time. The text of this scroll has been abridged. In paper form, it consists of 205 lines and 1,170 characters. The vertical length is 32.5 cm, and the horizontal length is 1,822 cm. It is preserved in the John C. Klouf collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The scroll is inscribed with seals such as [Imperial Library Seal], [Shaoxing], [Inner Reflection Studio], [Autumn Valley Library], [Private Seal of Yi Lu], [Seal of Ouyang Xuan], [Xiang Zijing's Collection], [Secret Art of Mo Lin], [Seal of Xiang Mo Lin's Appreciation], [An Yi Zhou's Collection], [Yong Xing Seal], and [Yi Jin Studio Seal]. It has been recorded in works such as "Chronicles of Authentic Calligraphy," "Zhan Dongtu's Xuanlan," "Shigu Hall's Collection of Calligraphy and Painting," "Records of Calligraphy and Painting," "Splendors of a Lifetime," "Grand View," and "Mo Yuan Hui Guan." In the Qing Dynasty, Wan Chengfeng's "Calligraphy of Huang Wenjie of the Song Dynasty" only carved one-fifth of the full text.