Zheng Banqiao (top and bottom)

Author: Zi Du, Zhao Li edited and compiled
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Zheng Banqiao was one of the "Eight Eccentric Masters of Yangzhou," renowned for his bamboo paintings. He was born in Xinghua, Jiangsu, and his name was Xie, with Banqiao as his art name. Because he always signed his paintings and calligraphy with "Banqiao Zheng Xie," people gradually referred to him as Zheng Banqiao. In the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign (1732 AD), with the help of his friends, Zheng Banqiao passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi. In the first year of the Qianlong reign (1736 AD), he passed the advanced imperial examination and was appointed as the magistrate of Fanxian County in Shandong five years later. Fanxian County was located on the northern bank of the Yellow River, with a population of 100,000, but the county seat had only about 40 to 50 households, smaller than a village. Upon taking office, Zheng Banqiao came up with an unusual idea: he had holes drilled into the walls of the county office. Others were puzzled and asked him about it. He said it was to eliminate the vices and customs of his predecessor. Five years later, Zheng Banqiao was transferred to serve as the magistrate of Weixian County in Shandong. To get closer to the people, he never carried the signs of "" () and "" () when inspecting the county and forbade the use of gongs and drums to clear the way. Sometimes, he even visited the poor in plain clothes and straw sandals. Once at night, he heard the sound of reading coming from a thatched hut. He found that it was a poor young man named Han Mengzhou studying hard. Zheng Banqiao gave him some of his own silver to support him, and later, Han Mengzhou passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi.
Because he lost his only son, Zheng Banqiao often sought out orphans and helped them with all his might. When children from the county school couldn’t go home during rainy days, he had them sent food. He also thought of the shoes they might wear on muddy paths and had old shoes collected for them. During times of famine, Zheng Banqiao reported the situation truthfully and strongly advocated for relief for the people. He even ordered wealthy households to take turns providing porridge for the hungry. He also donated his own salary. He carved an inscription on a seal that read: "I wish to fill the hunger of the world." During severe famines, he boldly decided to open the government granaries to provide food to the people in need. His subordinates advised him to be cautious, as opening the granaries without approval could lead to punishment. Zheng Banqiao said, "By the time the approval comes, the people will have starved to death. I will take full responsibility!" His decisive actions saved many lives. After the autumn harvest, if the people couldn’t repay the grain due to another famine, Zheng Banqiao simply had the debts burned. The people were deeply grateful to him for his compassion and dedication as a just official.
Zheng Banqiao didn’t care about ostentation when serving as a magistrate, which also brought him trouble. Because he often visited the countryside to understand the people’s needs, higher authorities sometimes couldn’t find him during inspections and would reprimand him. In the 17th year of the Qianlong reign, a major disaster struck Weixian County, and because he applied for relief, he offended his superiors and was dismissed from office. Before leaving, the people of Weixian came to bid farewell. Zheng Banqiao hired three donkeys—one for himself, one for someone to lead the way in front, and one to carry his luggage. Having served as a magistrate for 12 years with such integrity, the farewell crowd was deeply moved and reluctant to part. Zheng Banqiao gave paintings to the people of Weixian as keepsakes, inscribing a poem on one:
"I cast aside my official hat, not for office,
My pockets empty, sleeves cold and bare.
I paint a slender bamboo, clear and thin,
To fish on the autumn river, where the wind blows."
From then on, Zheng Banqiao returned to his hometown and lived a life of poverty but with great integrity, earning a living by painting bamboo. He painted only orchids, bamboo, and rocks. He believed that orchids never withered, bamboo remained green in all four seasons, and rocks stood firm for millennia. This perfectly matched his stubborn and unyielding personality. His paintings usually featured only a few bamboo stalks, a piece of rock, and a few strokes of orchid, with simple compositions but clever layouts. The use of ink, with its varying densities, created a sense of depth. The leaves of the orchid and bamboo were all painted with a single stroke, though only in black, yet they conveyed the vitality of these plants.
This book includes 260 works by Zheng Banqiao.