Song Daiying Guangtang Mi Tie: Mi Fu (II)

Author: Wang Haoming
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Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
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Cai Shu (1051-1107), styled Yuanzhang, was known as Xiangyang Manshi and Haiye Wai Shi. His ancestral home was in Shanxi, but he moved to Xiangyang, earning the nickname "Cai Xiangyang." Historical accounts describe him as eccentric, fond of Tang Dynasty attire, and obsessively clean. He revered stones, calling them "brothers" and worshipping them, hence the moniker "Cai Dian." At the age of six, he had memorized over a hundred poems, began studying calligraphy at seven, and composed inscriptions by ten. By the age of twenty-one, he entered official service, proving himself a prodigious talent. In calligraphy, he was one of the "Four Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty" (Su Shi, Cai Shu, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Jing) and the most outstanding among them. His style was unrestrained yet disciplined, earning Su Dongpo's admiration for its "freedom in script, boldness in grass, elegance in clerical, and precision in seal." On the other hand, he pioneered the "Cai Family Cloud Mountains" technique in landscape painting, using hazy brushwork to depict the misty scenery of Jiangnan. He employed varying shades of thick and dry ink, horizontal dots, and clustered strokes to recreate layered mountain peaks, earning the name "Cai Dian." His works inspired countless later painters, who emulated his style, elevating the "literati painting" tradition to new heights. Cai Shu's son, Cai Youren, left behind numerous works, ensuring the continuation of this artistic legacy.
Historians debate whether Cai Shu prioritized calligraphy or painting. As a calligrapher, painter, appraiser, and collector, he amassed a vast collection, demonstrating broad knowledge and sharp judgment. His writings became essential references for later art historians. His major works include Bao Zhang Dai Fang Lu (Record of Treasures Sought), Shu Shi (Record of Calligraphy), Hua Shi (Record of Painting), Yan Shi (Record of Inkstones), and Haiye Ti Ba (Haiye Annotations). Bao Zhang Dai Fang Lu, compiled in the first year of Yuanyou (1086), is divided into "Witnessed" and "Hearsay" sections, documenting eighty-four works from the Jin and Tang dynasties, setting a precedent for later cataloging and influencing numerous imitations, such as Zhang Chou's Zhangshi Si Biao. Shu Shi is even more detailed, serving as a key reference for later appraisers. Haiye, a personal account of his experiences, is considered a compilation of his thoughts, offering valuable insights.
Cai Shu dedicated himself deeply to calligraphy, with his greatest achievements in running script. Though few of his paintings survive, his calligraphic works are well-preserved. Many famous anthologies from the Southern Song Dynasty include his calligraphy, demonstrating its widespread influence and enduring legacy. Kang Youwei once remarked, "The Tang valued structure, while the Song cherished spirit and individuality." Cai Shu exemplified this spirit, making him the most outstanding of the "Four Calligraphers of the Northern Song." He claimed to "collect ancient characters," a practice some mocked but others praised, as Wang Wenji noted, "His natural talent surpasses even the need for admiration, for he built his own style through collecting." This reflects the foundation of his success. According to his own account, before studying Jin Dynasty calligraphy under Su Dongpo, he was heavily influenced by five Tang calligraphers: Yan Zhenqing, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Shen Chuanshi, and Duan Jizhan. Cai Shu employed unique brush techniques, such as the rounded turn at the right corner of the character "men," the abrupt rise of vertical hooks, and the crab-claw hook—all inspired by Yan Zhenqing's running script. His slender, upright style mimicked Ouyang Xun's, a influence that persisted for a long time. Shen Chuanshi's running script bore similarities to Chu Suiliang's, while Cai Shu's large characters resembled Duan Jizhan's, whose "four-sided" and "brush-like" techniques may have influenced Cai Shu. Chu Suiliang's dynamic brushwork and lively composition aligned with Cai Shu's aesthetic, earning his praise: "Like a skilled commander leading his army, his movements are effortless yet spirited."
After 1082, Cai Shu sought Jin Dynasty calligraphy and acquired Wang Xianzhi's Mid-Autumn within a year. This early exposure profoundly shaped his style, though he often favored his son over Wang Xizhi. Unconventional and restless, he criticized Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, declaring, "I grow weary of Wang Xizhi's poor script" and "I will discard Wang Xizhi's bad handwriting." He was said to have studied Yang Xin, as Li Zhiyi noted, "The immortal Cai Shu does not expect me, yet Yang Xin's brushwork is even more extraordinary." Cai Shu likely began studying Yang Xin after settling in Haiye An in Yuanyou 6 (1091). Despite this, his calligraphy remained evolving. Works like Tiao Xi, Yin Lingming's Temple Stele, and Shu Su were written within a month but displayed significant stylistic differences, still rooted in his "collecting ancient characters" phase. It wasn't until he "finally established his own style at fifty, leaving others uncertain of his mastery" that his style solidified. Even his small-cursive works, like Eulogy for Empress Dowager Xiang, showed his penchant for "power"—a strength that became both an asset and a flaw. As Huang Tingjian aptly remarked, "He excelled only in running script, while regular and cursive were mediocre." The term "regular script" at the time was not strictly defined as modern "kaishu," but if it referred to seal or clerical script, it was fitting. His surviving seal and clerical scripts were indeed mediocre, and his later dismissal of Tang Dynasty cursive and limited exposure to Jin cursive resulted in unremarkable achievements.
Cai Shu approached calligraphy with diligence, unlike those who imagined him writing effortlessly. He once said, "I rewrote Hai Dai Shi three times, yet only a few characters pleased me—truly, writing is a difficult task" (as recorded in Fan Mingtai's Cai Xiangyang Wai Ji). A poem rewritten three times still yielded only a few satisfactory characters, revealing the struggles of a true master. His insights into calligraphy's distribution, structure, and brushwork were unique. He advocated for "steadiness without stiffness, boldness without strangeness, maturity without dryness, and richness without fatness," echoing Jiang Kui's principle of "no downward strokes without shortening, no forward strokes without retracting." This harmony of contrasting elements—wrapping and concealing, thick and thin, sparse and dense, simple and complex—required "bone, sinew, flesh, and luster, like a refined gentleman." In composition, he prioritized overall rhythm while refining details, writing with confidence yet adapting as needed. His brushwork was characterized by dynamic shifts between vertical and horizontal angles, inclinations, turns, pauses, and abrupt strokes, creating a spirited, unrestrained style. His starting strokes were often heavy, lightening in the middle, and turning sharply with side strokes at bends. His variations in downward strokes were diverse, with emphasis shifting between the start, end, or middle of a stroke, and even longer horizontal strokes featured "three undulations." His hooks were also distinctive. His calligraphy often featured leaning postures—leaning left before right, before—adding dynamism and vigor. Grounded in decades of studying ancient scripts, his style was natural, never contrived. Followers of Cai Shu, even those with privileged access, struggled to match his "wildness."
Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, critical views on Cai Shu's calligraphy have been divided: some praised him without reservation, while others acknowledged flaws but still favored him. Su Shi represented the former, viewing Cai Shu as the most outstanding of the "Four Calligraphers of the Northern Song," particularly for his dynamic style. His success stemmed entirely from hard work. At thirty, serving in Changsha, he encountered the Yuelu Temple Stele and visited Lushan to see the Donglin Temple Stele, inscribing his name on both. In Yuanyou 2, he traded Zhang Xuan's six paintings and Xu Hao's two scrolls for Li Yong's Duo Re Yao Ge Fen. His calligraphy, however, showed promise early on. A twenty-four-year-old inscription at Longyin Rock in Guilin hinted at his potential, while his thirty-year-old commentary on the Bian Tian Tu revealed his nascent talent. Cai Shu's occasional self-praise was understandable, as he was "a man of high ideals." His self-explanations of calligraphy learning sometimes bordered on the mystical, such as claiming to have studied Yan Zhenqing's running script since childhood. Yet his success was entirely due to relentless practice. He wrote daily, as evidenced by two anecdotes: "A day without writing makes my mind sluggish—genuine masters never ceased writing for a moment" and "Zhi Yong's inkstone, polished to perfection, brought him to Wang Xizhi; only by piercing through it could he reach Zhong Yao and Su Jing. Work hard, Zhi Yong!" His son Cai Youren even claimed he never skipped writing even on New Year's Day.
Cai Shu was a prolific collector, often traveling with his "Cai Family Painting and Calligraphy Ship." His love for stones was legendary, as recorded in the Song Shi. Yuan Ni's poem On Cai Nan Gong Bow Shi Tu (Cai Shu Worshiping Stones) captures his pride: "Cai Shu adored inkstones and stones, exploring their wonders for years. He drew his own portrait of worshiping stones, proving his fame was well-deserved." Later painters often depicted this scene, cementing Cai Shu's worship in folklore. His Bao Jin Zhai also housed unique stones for appreciation, as recorded in Shu Yi Shi. Legend claims he had a four-character method for evaluating stones: "thin, elegant, rugged, and penetrating." He also cherished inkstones, essential tools for calligraphers. His Yan Shi detailed various ancient inkstones, comparing their qualities, advocating, "Inkstones serve their purpose, but stone texture is paramount for ink." Bao Jin Zhai Fa Shu Zan quotes from Shan Lin Ji: "Teach me to cherish a precious inkstone—inkstones are my life." His devotion to inkstones was profound.
As a man obsessed with both stones and inkstones, Cai Shu held inkstone mountains in high regard. These natural, mountain-like inkstones, flat at the base for grinding ink, served as both artistic collectibles and writing tools. Zhi Lin that Cai Shu fell asleep for three days after acquiring one. His most famous inkstone mountain belonged to Li Yu of Southern Tang, traded for a piece of land. Cai Shu yearned for it, immortalizing it in Yan Shan Tu.
In his later years, Cai Shu resided in Danpu, Runzhou (now part of Jiangsu), where he built Shan Lin Tang, naming his collected works Shan Lin Ji, a 100-volume compendium now mostly lost. The surviving Bao Jin Ying Guang Ji showcases his dual talents as a calligrapher and poet. His poems were original, never copying others, and he claimed, "I have never submitted a single poem to nobles," a testament to his uniqueness. While his paintings are lost, his Hua Shi records his collecting, appraising, and personal preferences in painting, offering the best insight into his artistic philosophy. Cai Shu achieved his aesthetic through playful ink experiments and thematic choices, aligning with the literati tradition. He sought to redefine traditional painting conventions, a goal shared by Su Shi, though their approaches differed. Cai Shu, as a collector and appraiser, prioritized the essence of painting, while Su Shi, as a poet, critiqued it through literary standards. Thus, later scholars often viewed Cai Shu as a painter and Su Shi as a theoretician. Though Su Shi left behind paintings, Cai Shu's legacy in art theory surpassed his contemporaries. His son Cai Youren, like his father, became a renowned calligrapher.