Dong Qichang Fine Album

Author: Dong Qichang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Dong Qichang (1555—1636), styled Xuanzai, styled Xiangguang, styled Sibai, was a native of Dongjiahu in Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, Nanzhili (now part of Shanghai). He was born on the 19th day of the first month in the 34th year of the Jiajing era (1555). At the age of 17, he participated in the provincial examination of Songjiang Prefecture. At that time, he wrote an excellent eight-legged essay and believed he could win the top prize, only to find that he was ranked below his Dong Yuanzheng when the results were announced. The reason was that the prefect Zhong Zhenji disliked the poor handwriting in his exam paper, so despite the excellent content, he was ranked second. This incident deeply stimulated Dong Qichang, and from then on, he devoted himself to studying calligraphy. Initially, he used the "Dabao Ta" by Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty as a model, but later switched to studying the calligraphy of the Wei and Jin periods, copying the works of Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi. After ten years of hard work, Dong Qichang made great progress in calligraphy, and his landscape painting also gradually improved. In the 17th year of the Wanli era (1589), Dong Qichang finally passed the imperial examination and was selected as a Cishitu for his excellent essays and calligraphy, entering the Hanlin Academy for further study. That year, he was 35 years old. In addition to studying classics and history, Dong Qichang discussed calligraphy and painting techniques with his colleagues and friends, debated the past and present, and evaluated the merits and flaws. He borrowed precious calligraphy collections from Han Shining, imitating and practicing them day and night, thus greatly advancing his knowledge and gaining some reputation in the capital. In his hometown, Dong Qichang built the "Lai Zhong Tower," "Bao Ding Study," "Xihong Hall," "Huachen Studio," and "Xiangguang Studio," surrounded by calligraphy and paintings, where he wrote and researched the art of calligraphy and painting throughout history. He tirelessly collected the works of famous calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Xie An, Huan Wen, Zhao Gao, and Mi Fu, and published the "Xihong Hall Calligraphy Collection" in the 31st year of the Wanli era. During his illness in Songjiang, he was in his prime years of over forty, widely knowledgeable, and collected various strengths. Living in seclusion, his mind and hands were skilled, and he created many famous landscape paintings depicting the scenery of Jiangnan, such as "Fengjing Ancient Tour Map," "Helin Spring Society Map" (Figure 5), "Floating Mist and Warm Green Map," "Shenlou Map," "Eight Scenic Views of West Lake Map," and "Stream Turning and Turning Map."