Song Mi's Shu Su

Author: Wang Ziqiang
Responsibility:
Publisher: Xiling Press
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features:
Cai Wenjiu (1051-1107), styled Yuanzhang, was known as Xiangyang Manshi, Haiyue Wai Shi, and Lumen Jushi. His ancestral home was Taiyuan, Shanxi, and he later settled in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. Due to his eccentric personality and erratic behavior—such as referring to stones as "brothers" and worshipping them—people called him "Mi Dian." Emperor Huizong appointed him as a doctoral scholar in painting and calligraphy, earning the nickname "Mi Nan Guan." Mi Fu was skilled in poetry, painting, calligraphy, and art appreciation, embodying the roles of a painter, appraiser, and collector. He was one of the "Four Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty" (Su Shi, Mi Fu, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Jing) and was considered the most outstanding among them. His calligraphy was unrestrained yet disciplined. The Song History·Biographies of Literary Figures said: "Mi Fu was exceptionally talented in calligraphy, with a deep and flying style, capturing the essence of Wang Xizhi's brushwork." Shu Su was a highly prized silk fabric from ancient times, produced in Sichuan, hence named after the ancient name of the region, "Shu." In the third year of the Yuanyou era (1088), Mi Fu was invited by Lin Xi, the prefect of Huizhou (Wuxing, Zhejiang), to tour the nearby Xiao River area of Taihu Lake. Later, Lin Xi presented a Shu Su scroll, which had been in his family for decades, and asked Mi Fu to write on it. Mi Fu composed and wrote eight of his own poems in one go. Several poems in the scroll were records of the journey or farewell gifts. At the end of the scroll, he inscribed: "On the twenty-third day of the ninth month, in the year Yuanchen of the Yuanyou era, recorded by Mi Fu of Xitang," which corresponds to 1088, a work from the age of 38.
The Shu Su Tie was treasured by Lin Xi for twenty years before being mounted as a scroll in the first year of the Xining era. During this time, Lin Xi sought calligraphic works from renowned masters, but all of them, out of humility, only inscribed their names at the end of the scroll. Only Mi Fu, with his exceptional talent and confidence, dared to write a long passage on the silk, viewing himself highly. Although this calligraphy was written within a black silk border, its spirit was not constrained. The brushwork was bold and dynamic, with sharp pressure and release, turns and flicks, showcasing endless variations. Huang Xingguan highly praised Mi Fu's calligraphy, describing it as sharp as a sword unsheathed, unstoppable, yet also graceful like a shy woman, full of elegance. This description is also very fitting for the Shu Su Tie.