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Su Shi (1037–1101 CE), also known by his courtesy name Su Dongpo, was a towering literary figure, statesman, painter, and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty, and one of the “Four Masters of the Song.” His calligraphy is celebrated for its naturalness, emotional depth, and bold individuality.
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Huang Tingjian (1045–1105 CE) was a leading poet, calligrapher, and scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, and one of the “Four Masters of the Song.” He developed a highly distinctive calligraphic style known for its rhythmic tension, angular brushstrokes, and dynamic composition.
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Huai Su (737–799 CE) was a Buddhist monk and one of the most celebrated cursive script (caoshu) calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty. Known for his wild, dynamic, and highly expressive brushwork, he is often paired with Zhang Xu as one of the “Two Sages of Cursive Script.”
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Chu Suiliang (596–658 CE) was a prominent statesman and calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty, celebrated for his elegant, refined, and rhythmically fluid style of regular script (kaishu). His masterpiece, the Yanta Shengjiao Xu (Preface to the Sacred Teachings at the Wild Goose Pagoda), was inscribed on stone in 653 CE at the request…
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Zhong Yao (151–230 CE) was a statesman and calligrapher of the late Eastern Han and early Three Kingdoms period, traditionally regarded as the “Father of Regular Script” (kaishu) in Chinese calligraphy. His work Jian Jizhi Biao (Memorial Recommending Ji Zhi) is one of his most famous surviving pieces, originally written as a court memorial…
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Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322) was a renowned calligrapher, painter, and scholar-official of the Yuan Dynasty. As a descendant of the Song imperial family, he played a pivotal role in reviving classical styles of Chinese art and calligraphy. His work Dao De Jing (The Tao Te Ching), handwritten in small regular script (xiaokaishu), is one of…
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Liu Gongquan (778–865 CE) was a leading calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, renowned for his rigorous, upright, and sharply structured style of regular script (kaishu). His most famous work, the Xuanmi Ta Bei (Stele of the Mysterious and Secret Pagoda), was engraved in 841 CE to honor the life and teachings of a prominent…
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Yan Zhenqing (709–785 CE) was one of China’s greatest calligraphers and a loyal official of the Tang Dynasty. He is especially famous for developing a bold, dignified, and powerful style of regular script (kaishu) that broke from earlier elegant but delicate traditions. His early masterpiece, the Dobao Ta Bei (Stele of the Many Treasures…
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Ouyang Xun (557–641 CE) was one of the most influential calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty, renowned for his precise, disciplined, and structurally rigorous style of regular script (kaishu). His masterpiece, the Jiucheng Palace Liqueur Spring Inscription (Jiucheng Gong Li Quan Ming), was engraved in 632 CE to commemorate the discovery of a sweet…