Selection of Fine Dunhuang Calligraphy (4: Commentary on the Diamond Sutra by Empress Wu Zetian)

Author: Huang Zheng, Jiang Yin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Oracle bone script, Western Han bamboo slips, Dunhuang manuscripts, and the imperial archives of the Qing court are collectively known as the "Four Great Discoveries" in the history of textual studies. However, in the context of calligraphy history, oracle bone script, Han bamboo slips, and Western Regions manuscripts serve as a crucial key for us to reinterpret the history of calligraphy. Thanks to oracle bone script, we have come to understand the beauty but unreliable nature of ancient mythological accounts of character creation, as well as the historical limitations of tracing written characters back only to the Jin inscriptions of the two Zhou dynasties before the Song Dynasty. Similarly, because of the discovery of Western Han bamboo slips and the subsequent finds of bamboo slips in Central China and the Xiang-Chu regions, we have come to realize that alongside the grand monuments of the Qin and Han dynasties, there exist such vivid and lifelike brushwork traces, which can be cross-referenced with stone inscriptions, thereby altering our perspectives on some classic interpretations in calligraphy history.
Furthermore, Dunhuang manuscripts have revealed to us that during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties periods, apart from the universally revered calligrapher Wang Xizhi, there were in fact numerous diverse writing styles scattered among the populace—styles that were less concerned with brushwork techniques and varied in form rather than being rigidly confined to a few canonical patterns. These styles effectively complement our overly singular interpretation of tradition and classicism, even forming an aesthetic style of folk and popular calligraphy that stands in contrast to the classical canon.
Professor Huang Zheng is an expert in Dunhuang studies, having studied under renowned scholars such as Jiang Liangfu, Jiang Lihong, and Guo Zaiyi. With his extensive academic background, he collaborated with the calligraphy-savvy Jiang Yin to compile this "Selection of Exquisite Dunhuang Calligraphy," which has greatly benefited the calligraphy community. Moreover, his meticulous research on each manuscript, including [Annotations], [Transcriptions], and [Corrections], distinguishes this work from the typical printed Dunhuang calligraphy manuscripts available in the market, granting it the functionality of an academic publication.