Zhang Yu's self-written poem

Author: Editorial Team of "Selected Calligraphies from Historical Stele and Manuscripts"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-02-01
Features: Chinese calligraphy art has a long history and a unique style, with generations of masters and a rich treasure trove of works. To meet the urgent needs of, especially middle school students, for practicing traditional calligraphy, as well as the needs of calligraphy enthusiasts for appreciation and learning, we have selected works in various calligraphic styles and from famous masters throughout history to compile this series of "Selected Calligraphies from Historical Stele and Manuscripts." Zhang Yu (1277–1348) was a Taoist priest of the Mao Shan sect during the Yuan Dynasty. Also known as Tianyu, he styled himself Boyu, his dharma name was Sizhen, and his other titles included Zhengju and Gouqu Wai Shi. He was from Wujun (now Suzhou, Jiangsu). At the age of twenty, he abandoned his family to travel extensively through famous mountains such as Tiantai and Kuocang. Later, he went to Mao Shan to study under Zhou Dajing, a disciple of the forty-third generation master Xu Daqi, receiving the Great Cave Scriptures and Talismans. He then went to Hangzhou's Kaiyuan Palace to learn from Wang Shouyan, a Taoist priest of the Xuanjiao sect, and was named Sizhen. In the second year of the Huangqing era (1313), he followed Wang Shouyan to the capital and resided in the Chongzhen Wanshou Palace. Due to his reputation as a poet, scholars and literati in the capital, such as Yang Zai, Yuan Jie, Yu Ji, Fan Kai, Huang Pi, and Zhao Yong, all sought to associate with him. This leaf measures 15.3 cm horizontally and 23.7 cm vertically. It contains fifty-five self-composed poems on calligraphy, intended as gifts to his friend Yuan Hua (styled Ziying), but only twenty-six survive today. The composition is fresh, the arrangement even, the brushwork flowing, and it carries the charm of the Jin and Tang dynasties. At the back of the album, there were originally inscriptions by thirty people, including Yang Weizheng and Ni Zan, but they have all been lost. It was successively collected by Chen Baosheng, Yuan Tai, Wen Zhengming, Xiang Yuanbi during the Ming Dynasty, and by Liang Qingbiao during the Qing Dynasty. During the Qianlong era, it was included in the imperial collection. It is recorded in "Shupin of Tie Wang Can Corals," "Shuxiao of Shigu Hall," and "Continuation of Shiqu Baobu." This piece is now preserved in the Shanghai Museum.