Huai Su Xiao Cao Qian Zi Wen

Author: Xue Haiyang
Publisher: Henan Fine Arts Press
Brief Introduction:
The story of Huai Su's works has left much to ponder and inspire for later generations. He was a notorious drinker, enjoyed meat and fish, and lived a life of unrestrained freedom. He devoted himself to calligraphy with great diligence, as he had no paper to practice with due to poverty, so he planted ten thousand banana trees to provide ink for his brushwork. Not content with just paper, he even painted a plate and a wooden board with lacquer, writing on them repeatedly until he wore them through, his spirit so powerful it moved heaven and earth. With extraordinary insight, when discussing calligraphy with Yan Zhenqing, he said, "I observe the summer clouds, full of rare peaks, and often learn from them. Their spirited expressions are like birds flying out of the forest, or snakes darting into the grass; and when encountering the path of splitting walls, everything is natural." He skillfully presented himself, incorporating others' remarks about his calligraphy into his "Self-Composition Scroll." He was also highly self-assured and proud, "When the heart and hand work together, the style becomes extraordinary. Strange forms and shapes turn out to be appropriate. Everyone wants to ask about this wonder, but Huai Su himself says he didn’t know at first." He never concealed his success and joy.
Overall, Huai Su’s cursive script was deeply rooted in the Han and Jin dynasties’ Zhang Zhi and the Wang brothers, as well as in Tang Dynasty’s Zhang Xu and Yan Zhenqing. He integrated and transformed these influences, eventually developing a distinct style. Zhang Zhi of the late Han Dynasty is considered the ancestor of "Modern Cursive" (今草). According to historical records, his modern cursive evolved from "Seal Cursive" (章草), belonging to the early form of modern cursive. In my opinion, it might still retain some of the crude essence of clerical script (隶书) (the Zhang Zhi works in the "Gedieji" [Grotto Temple Scriptures] are unreliable). By the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi and his son were also skilled in this style, but the influence of clerical script had completely vanished, making it the ideal elegant form of modern cursive. By the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Xu further innovated and transformed, with his brushwork like dragons and snakes, strokes chaotic and unrestrained, creating the "Manic Cursive" (狂草). Huai Su then stood on the shoulders of these giants, taking maniacal cursive to even greater perfection. It is not an exaggeration to say that Huai Su was the culmination of cursive script.