Celebrities from China talk about the Ink Treasure Mirror

Author: Peng Yichao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book is made of handmade Xuan paper, which has beautiful texture, fine, flexible, fold-resistant, pure white, dense, good ink absorption, anti-corrosion, anti-moth, and anti-aging properties. It is renowned for its longevity, earning the reputation of "paper that lasts a thousand years," making it the best choice of paper for premium book collections. Many important documents, classics, and fine calligraphy and painting works have been preserved thanks to Xuan paper. This series of books is part of the "Handmade Xuan Paper Rare Book Recreation Project." It was planned and invested in by Li Ke, Chairman of Beijing Zhipin Book Company and an independent senior publisher, and compiled over a period of six months by Peng Yichao, a young scholar from Hunan, who is also a couplet artist, calligrapher, seal carver, and Executive Deputy Editor of the Fine Arts Industry Newspaper. The "Biographies of Famous People's Couplets and Calligraphy" (hereinafter referred to as "Biographies") has been published and released by Anhui Huangshan Book Press.
Flipping through this collection, which combines famous couplets and calligraphy, brief introductions, concise reviews, and annotations, bound in a Song Dynasty-style imitation and printed on handmade Xuan paper, readers can easily appreciate the couplets and calligraphy of well-known historical figures such as Lin Zexu, Ji Xiaolan, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Deng Shiru, Zeng Xi, Li Ruqing, Wang Wenji, Jin Nong, Wu Rangzhi, Zhao Ziqian, Zheng Banqiao, He Shaoji, Yi Bingshou, Sun Yat-sen, Feng Yuxiang, Duan Qirui, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Cai Yuanpei, Qu Qiubai, Wu Changshuo, Li Shucun, Lu Xun, Ma Gongyu, Luo Zhenyu, Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong, Huang Binhong, Pan Tianshou, Guo Moruo, Sha Menghai, and Zhao Puchu. Readers can also enjoy the outstanding couplets and calligraphy works of representative cultural figures of the modern era, such as Qi Gong, Shen Peng, Ma Xiaoxiao, Meng Fanjin, Feng Qiyong, Lin Xiu, and Wang Yong. These figures nearly cover every era's political, military, economic, cultural, and artistic fields and social strata. Their couplet calligraphy represents the artistic achievements of their time, with some even establishing calligraphy monuments that have influenced multiple generations. For example, Deng Shiru, Jin Nong, Zhao Ziqian, He Shaoji, Yi Bingshou, Wu Changshuo, Li Shucun, and Qi Baishi.
Works included range from one to over ten pieces per figure, with no restrictions on the masterpieces of great masters, reflecting a humanistic spirit that combines literature, history, and artistry. The calligraphy styles—running script, cursive script, clerical script, seal script, and regular script—are organically integrated, with couplets and calligraphy in various formats such as Longmen-style, yaoqin-style, free-style, and dou-style harmoniously coexisting within the book. It is not merely a fine art book that combines documentary value, artistic quality, and collectibility.