Clear He Shaoji

Author: Compiled by the Press
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-12
Features: He Shaoji (1799–1873), styled Zizhen, was known as Dongzhou. It is said that his arms were so long they could reach his knees, hence he also took the name Wan (Monkey) Elder. Born in Daozhou, Hunan, he passed the imperial examination in the Bingshen year (1836) of the Daoguang reign and served as a compiler and assistant editor in the Imperial Academy of History at the Wuying Palace. He rose to become the Education Commissioner of Sichuan. As a major calligrapher in the late Qing Dynasty, He was highly individualistic and influential.
He was a genius who combined talent with diligence. As a master of regular script and running script, he revered Yan Zhenqing, and among those who learned from Yan in the following centuries, He stands out for his distinctive style. He is considered a master in creatively applying Yan’s calligraphic principles. According to the author’s research, He was particularly adept at practicing Yan’s style with unique charm, which resonated with the calligraphic style of Wen Ge of the Song Dynasty. However, Wen Ge’s works are rarely seen today, further enhancing the fame of He’s calligraphy.
Strictly speaking, as an official, calligraphy was not just a pastime for him but an integral part of his life—a source of pride and glory throughout his career. Before his sixtieth year, his works were primarily in regular and running script, characterized by their profound depth, sharpness, and full energy. His refusal to rest on his achievements drove his calligraphic mastery to great heights. According to his grandson, He Weipu, “In the Wufu year (1858) of the Xianfeng reign, my great-grandfather turned sixty and began to focus solely on cursive script at Luoyuan Academy in Jinan. He systematically studied the inscriptions of the Eastern capital, setting his own curriculum. By the Gengshen year (1860), he returned to Hunan and lectured at Nancheng, continuing his study of cursive script without interruption. He devoted extra effort to the Liji and Zhangqian Steles, each practicing a hundred times.” This accurately depicts He’s dedication to studying cursive and seal scripts in his later years. Although he practiced by copying, his late works reveal that he did not merely imitate the form but grasped the essence, achieving a creative and intelligent approach to “copying.” Thus, the cursive and seal scripts he produced bore the unique imprint of his archaic and austere style.
Having already gained fame for his regular and running script, he further distinguished himself in cursive and seal scripts. His progression from one achievement to another serves as an inspiration for those eager to succeed.
He’s cursive script, though labeled as “copying,” was in fact a way of reviving tradition while innovating. Among his predecessors in cursive and seal scripts, Deng Shiru excelled in boldness and grandeur, while Yi Bingshou stood out for his majestic and solemn style. He Shaoji, however, sought differentiation, embodying a condensed, austere, and unrefined aesthetic. He made significant and effective explorations in the direction of simplicity and ruggedness in structure and spirit, which set a valuable precedent for later generations.
Especially in brushwork, he deeply understood Yan Zhenqing’s concept of “layered leaks” (ceng lou hén). He emphasized accumulating dots to form lines, with forceful strokes that seemed to pierce through the paper. This gave the dots and strokes of his cursive and seal scripts a greater independence in aesthetics and inspiration—a contribution that cannot be overstated.
In summary, Deng, Yi, and He, as the three pillars of calligraphy, raised their flags and established new frontiers. Their influence contributed to the flourishing and renewal of cursive and seal scripts during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns, an achievement far beyond what anyone could have predicted. This remarkable resurgence of cursive (including seal) scripts was enough to counter the decline of running and regular script art in the Qing Dynasty.