Yang Weizhen's Fundraising Appeal for Zhijing An

Author: Compiled by the Editorial Committee of "Classics of Chinese Ink Painting"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: June 1, 2002
Features: Yang Weizhen (1296–1370) was the younger brother of Yang Weihuan, an outstanding Yuan Dynasty litterateur and painter. Born in Zhuji, he was known by the courtesy name Lianfu and also bore the sobriquets Tieya, Tiedizi, and Tiexin Daoren, among others. In his early years, Yang Weizhen received an excellent home education. His father, Yang Hong, had built a tower on Tieya Mountain, surrounded it with a hundred trees, and collected tens of thousands of volumes of books within it. Yang Weizhen studied there, using a pulley to deliver food daily and studying diligently for five years. In the fourth year of the Taiding era (1327), he passed the imperial examination with his treatise on the Spring and Autumn Annals and was appointed as the magistrate of Tiantai. Later, he was transferred to the position of salt commandant of Qianqing and rose to become the assistant magistrate of the Jiaodexing Prefecture. During his time, the compilation of the histories of the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties was underway, and he wrote a thousand-word treatise titled On the Orthodoxy, which impressed the chief compiler, Ouyang Xuan, who remarked, "A century from now, public opinion will confirm it." In the late Yuan Dynasty, he was promoted to the position of chief scholar of Jiangxi, but before taking office, he fled to Fuchun River due to the rebellion against the Yuan regime. He later moved to Qiantang and eventually settled in Songjiang in his later years. Talented scholars from all over southeastern China sought his advice and requested his writings. When he fell ill, he composed the Record of the Hall of Complete Return in an instant and died, dropping his brush. Throughout his life, he maintained an elegant demeanor, often wearing a Huayang cap and a feathered robe while traveling through mountains and rivers, accompanied by music.
The Yuan Dynasty was a period dominated by a comprehensive trend toward retrogression in calligraphy, influenced by calligraphers like Zhao Meng, who advocated surpassing the Song Dynasty and striving to emulate the Jin and Tang dynasties. Yang Weizhen was also influenced by this trend, but his approach to calligraphy was quite unique. He avoided the works of the "Two Wangs" (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi) and directly studied the works of Ou Yangxun, whose calligraphy combined the essence of Northern Stele and the "Two Wangs." His Thousand Characters and Zhang Han are particularly renowned for their graceful and ever-changing beauty.
At the same time, Yang Weizhen focused on cangcao, which is a refinement and summary of lishu. Its classical charm is self-evident. Historical records indicate that calligraphers such as Du Du, Cui Yuan, Zhang Zhi, Zhong Yao, Huang Xiang, Su Jing, and Wang Xizhi all wrote the Jiji Zhang, a style that lies between lishu and cangcao but was later replaced by the more fluid modern cangcao, becoming a relic of the past. Driven by the retrogressive trend of the time, cangcao was valued, and it was in this context that Yang Weizhen incorporated it into works like the Fundraising Appeal for Zhenjing An. He blended the clumsiness of cangcao, the dynamism of regular script, the rhythm of running script, and the fluidity of cursive script, integrating them into a harmonious whole. His brushwork was sharp and strong, yet light and magical, with deliberate pressure and release. His structures were tightly knit but not cramped, and the entire piece remained spacious and airy. In composition, he employed the techniques of running and cursive script, yet frequently transformed horizontal trends into vertical ones, creating a natural, flowing, and lyrical style. His approach served as an inspiration for Song Ke of the Ming Dynasty. His creative methods differed greatly from the contemporary pursuit of peace, elegance, and refinement, instead establishing a distinct style of simplicity, strength, and freshness. Thus, Yang Weizhen can be regarded as a great master of the Yuan Dynasty.
This is an ink rubbing on paper. It measures 33.5 cm in height and 278.4 cm in width. At the end of the scroll are inscriptions by Ming Dynasty scholar Du Mu and Qing Dynasty scholar Qian Daixin. It is included in Tie Wang Can Corals: Yiyi Edition and is now preserved in the Shanghai Museum.