Huai Su Xiao Cao Qian Zi Wen

Author: Deng Ming
Publisher: Shanghai Fine Arts Publishing House
Publication Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Xiao Cao Qian Zi Wen in Huaisu's cursive script, written in the 15th year of Zhenyuan (799 AD), on silk, 84 lines, totaling 1,045 characters. There are multiple versions of Huaisu's Qian Zi Wen, but the "small-character Zhenyuan edition" is considered the best, praised as "worth a thousand gold per character," hence named the "Thousand Gold Scroll." This version was written by Huaisu in his later years. The entire scroll lacks the unrestrained and whimsical charm of the Zixu Tie, showing neither chaos nor madness, nor haste nor restlessness. Its artistic style is particularly elegant and refined, adhering strictly to norms with uniform character sizes. At first glance, it seems casual, but in reality, every stroke follows the rules, shedding the wild and exaggerated style to focus on simplicity and elegance. It reflects another pursuit in Huaisu's artistic creation. Ming-era critic Yao Gongshou said: "Huaisu's silk-based Qian Zi Wen in its true form, with its ever-changing strokes and unrestrained ingenuity, appears casual at first but strictly adheres to conventions, aligning with the artistry of nature, with an indescribable beauty." Tang-era calligrapher Yan Zhenqing remarked: "My master Zhang Changshi (Zhang Xu) excelled in both regular and cursive scripts, with his regular and cursive works widely circulated. His (cursive script) was often lamented for lacking successors. Now, observing Huaisu's calligraphy, one sees a continuous legacy." Huaisu himself vividly described his cursive script: "At first, it seems like light smoke and ancient pines; then, like a mountain opening to reveal countless peaks." "Cold monkeys drinking water shake dry vines; strong men push mountains, extending sturdy iron." "Only the flow of electricity is visible in the brush; once formed, the characters fear the winding dragon's path." "Determined to be novel and without fixed rules, ancient and lean, like a river without ink, drunk, I write carelessly; sober, I cannot write again." "The heart and hand teach each other, and the style becomes extraordinary; strange and bizarre forms are perfectly suited." "Suddenly, I cry out three or five times, and the wall is filled with (: crisscrossing, ten thousand characters). Everyone wants to ask about the magic here, but Huaisu himself said he didn’t know at first" (all quoted from the Zixu Tie, which helps us understand his calligraphic pursuit). Huaisu was from Changsha, and from a young age, he practiced Buddhism, becoming a disciple of Xuanzang. In old records, he was listed with the surname Qian, but this is incorrect. Qian Qi was his maternal uncle, as evidenced by the poem Feng Wai Susong Huai Su Shangren Gui Xiang Shi Feng (Greeting His Nephew Huai Su on His Return Home). Since same-surname marriages were forbidden, the Zixu Tie mentions "cousin Qian Qi," and the Erya·Explanation of Kinship states that "mothers' sisters are considered from-mother," so a maternal uncle could also be referred to as "cousin," just as a supplementary explanation. The silk-based Qian Zi Wen has a self-referential inscription: "Written in Liuling on the 17th day of the sixth month of the 15th year of Zhenyuan, when I was sixty-three," suggesting he was born in the 37th year of the Kaiyuan era (749 AD). Huaisu wrote over ten versions of the Qian Zi Wen, with this Zhenyuan edition being the finest. It consists of 84 lines, a silk-based ink rubbing, with every character carefully crafted, shedding the wild and exaggerated style to lean toward simplicity and elegance. The brushwork is endlessly varied but never deviates from the conventions of the Wei and Jin dynasties, making it a representative work of his later years. Ming-era critic Yao Gongshou praised this scroll as "worth a thousand gold per character," hence it is also known as the "Thousand Gold Scroll."