Essays on Chinese Calligraphy
An Amplification of Oars for the Boat of Art
By Kang Youwei
Chapter Two - Respect to Steles
Jin people wrote on papers. Practicing calligraphy after those manuscripts was appropriate in Ming or pre-Ming period, for some of their original works survived till then. The life of paper is about a thousand years, so that not only the original calligraphy of Six Dynasties1 have been lost since, even their duplicates by Tang people are rare today. Whatever manuscripts that handed down into this day are mostly reproductions from Song or Ming period. They are still labeled under master calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi or Wang Xianzhi, but the brushwork, let alone the soul, is as different as great-grandchildren from great-grandparents. Modern representatives of the manuscript learning are Zhang Zhao and Liu Yong; however, they are far behind Ming masters in brushmanship, not to mention their spawn. The fact is that the degenerate manuscripts can not bring forth any success in brushmanship. As things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme, the resurgence of stone inscription2 became irresistible after Emperor Daoguang's reign.3
Manuscript learning became detestable from years of Qianlong. Jin Nong and Zheng Xie turned to clerical script for inspiration, but ended up in queerness - these are who tried to make a change but did not know how. Yin Bingshou imitated Mourning for Bi Gan Stele besides his mastership in splayed clerical script, and worked out an unexampled slim, vigorous regular script. Meanwhile Deng Shiru, the epitome of modern seal and clerical script, modeled his calligraphy on stone steles from Six Dynasties and worked out an exuberant, unadorned clerical-regular script. These are who opened the gate to stone inscription. In terms of starting a new approach, the credit goes to another pare, with whom the narrow-minded, shallow calligraphy of Weng Fanggang, an adherent of Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan throughout his life, contrasted as far apart as earth from heaven. Wu Rongguang, a master of manuscript learning and the best calligrapher in my fellow-Cantonese, derived his technique from Zhang Xuan Stele. Ruan Yuan, also a master of old learning, wrote Southern and Northern Schools in full awareness of spoiled practice of manuscript learning. He knew well the value of steles from Six Dynasties out of his sound scholarship and judgement, but it was a pity that he saw only a small number of them, which kept him from further elucidating but drawing a broad outline for generations to come.
Inscription craze also lent popularity to inscription learning. From years of Jiaqing philology began to be in fashion, when scholars across the country made use of stone inscriptions in Confucian canon research. Coinciding with increasing publications on ancient inscriptions, a large amount of stone steles were unearthed or rediscovered. Found on cliffs and walls, obtained from remote, backward places, dug up by farmer's hoes, and encountered in kitchens of official residences, these steles were washed clean to their original glory, then ink-rubbed in order to spread far and wide. Sun of Beijing, Lin of Fuzhou, Wu of Yanshi, and Wang of Shanghai all published books of rubbing that could be found all over the country. Besides those giant books, the other publications were Inscription Archives, Engraved Script, Inscription Pictorial, Inscription Annals, Inscription Index, Inscription Collections, Inscription Sequel, Inscription Supplementary, and so on. After years of Jiaqing, many more steles of Southern and Northern Dynasties were unearthed. Their newness can be proven by Inscriptions Assembled, a comprehensive book of ink rubbing compiled in years of Jiaqing, in which a great number of steles I see today were not included. With such hosts of new finds and following textual criticism, the inscription learning began to get the upper hand of manuscript learning for its properness.Bao Shichen of Jing County, who had the essence of Deng Shiru's teaching, published Oars for the Boat of Art at the right time when stone inscription became popular. With his remarkable insights, he cited in his book the significance of the newly unearthed steles and their inscription techniques. By his advertisement, inscription learning advanced to the apex of its popularity. To the years of Xianfeng and Tongzhi, the new learning spread to all quarters of the country - from classroom of primary schools to communities as small as ten families, there was no one who was unaware stone steles of Northern Dynasties, and there was no one who was uneducated in Wei style - the custom eventually formed.
We value stone inscriptions because manuscripts have no longer been true to the originals by repeated reproduction; we value stone inscriptions of Southern and Northern Dynasties because those of Tang dynasty have been worn away by repeated ink rubbing. We have every reason to value them but not for their antiquity. Their well-preserved characters still bear original temperament; thus they are good models for making copy. Their historical origin will facilitate our study on evolution of regular script. They are rich in styles, including structural practice of Tang dynasty and interest practice of Song dynasty. They are also unique in their changeful, stretching and angular brushstroke. With all these virtues, shouldn't they deserve our respect?
- Six Dynasties is a technical term in Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting, referring to the artistic styles from the period of Western Jin, Eastern Jin and four successive Southern Dynasties.
- Stone inscription in this article refers to that in regular script.
- Qianlong 1736, Jiaqing 1796, Daoguang 1821, Xianfeng 1851, Tongzhi 1861.
About the author
Kang Youwei (1858 - 1927)
Poem
Ink on Rice Paper
Kang Youwei was a scholar-thinker and one of the leader spirits of the Reform Movement 1898. Besides his fame on political stage, he was also a most influential figure in modern Chinese calligraphy by this 27-chapter book. Touching the key period of Chinese calligraphy in Qing dynasty, he enthusiastically praised the stone inscriptions of Southern and Norther Dynasties while accused manuscript learning. His conclusion might seem extreme; however, it hit home of steadily weakening practice of manuscript learning.
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