Practical Large Character Manuscript (Yan) - Tang Yan Zhenqing (Eastern Painting Zan) Character Selection Book

Author: Li Zhiwei, Compiled by Gong Jianhua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-06-01
Features: In daily life, writing standardized and aesthetically pleasing characters not only facilitates communication and interaction but also often brings people a sense of power and beauty effortlessly. Chinese calligraphy, with its millennia of continuous development, remains radiant, primarily because it combines both aesthetic and practical functions. Even in today's world where hard-tip writing and computer use are widespread, calligraphy retains its unshakable position. In China, and even in East Asian regions deeply influenced by Chinese traditional culture such as Japan and South Korea, the ability to write well has long been one of the measures of a person's comprehensive cultural refinement.
Calligraphy refers to the rules of writing Chinese characters in various scripts (including Seal, Clerical, Regular, Running, and Cursive) with a conical brush, as well as a traditional plastic art that emphasizes grip, stroke execution, movement, structure, spacing, composition, ink technique, and style. It typically requires a firm grip with an empty palm, coordinated five fingers, a relaxed and level wrist, and power generated from a suspended position. The strokes must be executed with a central axis and full brush coverage, ensuring each stroke reaches its endpoint. The structure should harmonize strokes and create a cohesive whole. The composition and spacing should be varied yet unified, conveying a continuous flow of energy and reflecting the calligrapher's aesthetic taste and personality.
To provide a solid foundation for beginners in calligraphy, we have compiled this Practical Large-Character Manuscript. We selected particularly outstanding examples from ancient masterpieces, arranging them in the sequence of strokes and structures to facilitate gradual learning. Each character is accompanied by supplementary illustrations showing the brush movement process, aiding readers in comprehension and practice.
This manuscript is based on the work of Yan Zhenqing, written at the age of 45, which is a copy of the Eastern Painters' Praise by Xia Hou Zhan of the Jin Dynasty. Yan Zhenqing, styled Qingchen, was from Xi'an, Shaanxi, with ancestral roots in Linyi, Shandong. He served as the Governor of Pingyuan, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and was posthumously enfeoffed as Marquis of Lu. His character and calligraphy were highly regarded. Initially, he studied under Chu Suiliang, later learning brush techniques from Zhang Xu and incorporating elements of seal script. His regular and running scripts pioneered new styles, with his regular script known as the "Yan Style," often paired with Liu Gongquan's "Yan's sinew, Liu's bone" in comparison.
In his early years, Yan's calligraphy was characterized by heavy, deliberate strokes—thin horizontal lines, thick vertical lines, "silkworm head" and "swallow tail" endings, and expansive structures. In his later years, his brushwork became clearer, more robust, and rounded, with a mature and effortless style. His structures shifted from outward-facing to inward-facing, creating a grand and powerful. His influence on his contemporaries and later generations was profound.
The Eastern Painters' Praise stele is located in the Shentouodian Temple in Lingxian, Shandong. It is quadrifacial, and due to heavy demand for rubbings, it has been restored and repaired throughout history. Even the best-preserved Song-era rubbings are scarce. This manuscript is based on a Song-era rubbing, which is elegant, majestic, and vibrant, serving as one of the primary models for studying Yan's calligraphy.