Selection of Fine Dunhuang Calligraphy. 3: The Lotus Sutra

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 Dynasty 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 to reinterpreting the history of calligraphy. With oracle bone script, we recognize the beauty but unreliable nature of ancient mythological accounts of character creation, and we also understand the historical limitation of tracing calligraphy back only to the Western Zhou bronze inscriptions before the Song Dynasty. Similarly, thanks to the discovery of Western Han bamboo slips and later finds in Central China and the Xiang-Chu regions, we have learned that beyond the grand monuments of the Qin and Han dynasties, there exist vivid and lifelike calligraphic traces in brushwork that can complement stone inscriptions, thereby altering our perspectives on some classic interpretations in calligraphy history.
Additionally, Dunhuang manuscripts have revealed that during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties periods, apart from the universally revered calligrapher Wang Xizhi, there were numerous diverse and unconventional calligraphic styles scattered among the people—styles that were not rigidly confined to a few canonical forms. These styles effectively challenge our overly singular interpretation of tradition and classical calligraphy, even forming an aesthetic tradition of folk and popular calligraphy that stands in contrast to the classics.
Professor Huang Zheng is an expert in Dunhuang studies, mentored by 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 Dunhuang Calligraphy Masterpieces," which has greatly benefited the calligraphy community. Furthermore, his meticulous research on each manuscript, including [Annotations], [Transcriptions], and [Corrections], distinguishes this work from ordinary Dunhuang calligraphy prints in the market, giving it the function of an academic publication.