Study the calligraphy style and political behavior of | Chu Suiliang

Chu Suiliang (596-659), also known as Dengshan, was a native of Qiantang, Hangzhou, from the Chu clan of the Jiangnan Shi clan, and his father Chu Liang was one of the eighteen scholars of the Qin Dynasty. Chu Suiliang is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, working in Lishu and Kaishu, and his penmanship is strong and comfortable, with both square and round circles, and has always been famous in the history of Chinese calligraphy with famous artists and brilliant stars. Chu Suiliang was not only an important pioneer of Tang Dynasty calligraphy, but also an extremely popular subject. He served as a yellow gate attendant, Zhongshu Ling, Shangshu Shangshu, Shangshu Right Servant and other important positions, and together with Changsun Wuji, he was the chancellor of Emperor Taizong of Tang, and played a pivotal role in the political situation of the imperial court at the end of Zhenguan and the beginning of Yonghui. Because he was named the Duke of Henan County, he was also known as Chu Henan.

In the past, chu Suiliang's research paid more attention to his personal calligraphy style and his position in the history of calligraphy, and his personal evaluation was often influenced by the love house and the Wu complex and regarded him as a morally perfect person. On the basis of analyzing Chu Suiliang's calligraphy style, this paper pays attention to the relationship between his calligraphy style and the weather of the times, and analyzes his political behavior in the political arena of the early Tang Dynasty, so as to restore Chu Suiliang's multi-faceted and complex historical image.

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[Tang] Chu Suiliang Tanfu Ti (Tuoben) (left)

[Tang] Chu Suiliang Yique Buddha Shrine Monument (Tuoben) (right)

1. Chu Suiliang's calligraphy style

In his early years, Chu Suiliang studied with Fa Shiling, Ouyang Qing, Yu Shinan and others, and later took the Fa Wang Xizhi, and borrowed from Han Li and Wei Bei, forming his own style of rigidity and softness, handsome and beautiful, known as "Chu Body". Chu Suiliang's works were highly valued by the world, and imitating the Chu body once became a fashion. Kong Ruosi had received several volumes of Chu Suiliang's calligraphy works from someone, but Kong Ruosi only accepted one volume, and the man asked: "This book is more important today than gold, why not always take it?" Kong Ruosi heard this, divided the volume in two, and returned a part of it. The Old Book of Tang also records that some people are fond of calligraphy and painting, and are keen to collect authentic works such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, and Chu Suiliang. It can be seen that even in the Tang Dynasty, Chu Suiliang's inkblots were very cherished.

Chu Suiliang had a profound influence on the calligraphy of the later Tang Dynasty, for example, Wang Shu of the Qing Dynasty put forward an important thesis: "Chu Henan Shu, pottery cast has the Tang generation." He also elaborated: "(Learning Chu Suiliang's calligraphy) The slightest danger is Xue Yao, the slightly painful is Yan Zhenqing, the slightly jianzhuo is Liu Gongquan, the slightly delicate is Zhong Shaojing, the slightly plump is Lü Xiang, the slightly indulgent is Wei Qiwu, and the step without losing size is Xue Ji." In Wang Shu's view, Xue Yao, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Zhong Shaojing, Lü Xiang, Wei Qiwu, Xue Ji and other famous calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty all benefited from Chu Suiliang's calligraphy, and the difference between them was whether they followed Chu Suiliang's style step by step, or whether they focused on slight changes from the precipitous, painful, strong, delicate, plump, and indulgent to form their own style. Liu Xizai, a well-known scholar of the Qing Dynasty, held a similar view, commenting that Chu Suiliang was "the master of the vast indoctrination of the Tang Dynasty, Yan Pingyuan (i.e., Yan Zhenqing) got his tendons, and Xu Jihai (i.e., Xu Hao) and the like got his flesh." This exposition is reminiscent of the relationship between Confucius and his disciples discussed in mencius, Confucius's ancestors Yao Shun, Charter Wenwu, the collection of the sages of the first sages, his disciples or "one", or "specific and subtle", and opened the precedent of different doctrines such as the Hundred Sons and Hundred Schools, the so-called six arts scattered and become the sons. In a certain sense, the Chu body formed by integrating the essence of Wang Xizhi, Shi Ling, Yu Shinan, Ouyang Qing, Han Li, Wei Bei, and other families, and discarding its dregs, as Pointed out by Li Zonghan, the collector of the Tang Tuo's solitary book of the Mengshi Stele in the Qing Dynasty, "Is like Yu in the lili place, like Ou in the duanjin, and transported to the law of subordination, the wind and regulations are more than six generations, and the ancients are nearly two kings or more", which is a process of Chu Suiliang's collection of calligraphy. Later generations combined with personal reality, and then drew relevant elements from Chu Suiliang's calligraphy to play and extend and evolve a variety of styles, which opened up mountains for future generations, which is the true meaning of Liu Xizai's so-called "(Chu Suiliang) is the master of Tang's vast indoctrination".

In terms of brushwork, Chu Shu has both square and round circles, and Shu Lang is thin. Later generations commented that "Chu Shu lifts the pen empty, transports the pen spirit, is thin and stiff, and is a gem", "Chu Shu pen pen hides the edge, the pen is sharp". Specifically, when writing points, there is the meaning of convergence, the pursuit of tight and thick, the pursuit of edges and corners, to avoid flat circles; the writing of horizontal pursuit of "upward overgrafting", taking the "three" character as an example, the upper two short horizontal upwards, the lowest long horizontal abdomen, appearing powerful and generous; writing vertical does not pay attention to too straight, seems to have a sense of trembling, avoids a sense of powerlessness, and adds a sense of majesty; when writing skimming, it seems that the falcon has skimmed, thrilling and powerful; there are many square edges at the turn of the stroke and the hook pick, and there is a sharp tendency, and the right turn is adducted The basic thickness of the hook has not changed, and it is very refreshing. The characteristics of these pens give Chu Suiliang calligraphy a calm strength, the so-called "learning Chu must know its deep strength". Wang Shu pointed out that Chu Suiliang's works are "super-unique in rhyme, and they want to be an inch away from the paper", and "those who learn must have the strength to pass through the back of the paper, but there is a contract, and they are not allowed to arrange flower dancers, and they are also discarded with a light heart." Cai Xizong also pointed out that "Chu Henan uses a pen like printing clay." That is to say, when Chu Shu writes, he pursues the pen through the back of the paper, and uses the pen like a painting sand to print mud, which seems to have the power of a thousand jun. Chu Suiliang's works differ slightly in style before and after the period. Zhu Changwen pointed out that Chu Suiliang's calligraphy has multiple styles, "or learning the style of Zhong Gong (i.e., Zhong Xuan), which is quaint and vulgar; or the method of Shi Yishao (that is, Wang Xizhi), and being thin and hard; between the chapters and grasses, it is elegant and gorgeous, and all of them are the best of the wonderful products." Now take the existing four undisputed works in the academic circles "Yi que Buddha Niche Monument", "Meng Mage Monument", "Fang Xuanling Monument", "Yanta Sacred Order" as an example, the first two are representatives of the previous works, mostly use square pens, the glyphs are straight, while drawing on the elegant and rigid pen characteristics of Ouyang Yuan, Yu Shinan and others, the glyphs have become more square from thin and long, and the thickness of the strokes has not changed much, giving people a thick look and feeling, reflecting some of the influences of the Han Li Wei Stele. The latter two are representatives of Chu Suiliang's late works, rigid and soft, combined with curved brushes, the gestures are ups and downs, rigorous but ethereal, energetic and with a little ethereal, and some words such as "兮" are more relaxed and flowing.

The German scholar Redhour believes that Chinese calligraphy art has such a characteristic: "The sense of closeness between the reader and the author that may be formed through time and action factors." That is to say, when the calligrapher creates, every stroke such as horizontal and vertical, dot stroke and stroke will have a difference in weight and urgency, and posterity can feel this sense of rhythm and action when appreciating. Playing with Chu Shu carefully, we can feel that it has made a lot of effort in grasping the rhythm. Chu Suiliang, while pursuing Jinjian and Xiongqi, seems to realize that blindly being strong and healthy will inevitably lead to the regret and unsustainability of the dragon, and must be soothed and dull, for example, when writing Strokes such as Ge, Ring, and Gong, he deliberately hesitates, soothes, and rotates on the pen, which can be described as Xu Youjie, Rigidity and Softness, which also makes his works thick and heavy with a bit of elegance.

Chu Shu is quite ingenious in layout and conception, the structure is stretched, often staggered between different strokes of the same word, and often cares about the feelings between the adjacent words. Taking the word "many" as an example, the first stroke is abbreviated, the second and third strokes are still abbreviations, and the fourth stroke must be stretched out and attacked. Taking the right half of the words "shape" and "shadow" as an example, the three short apostrophes are not parallel but have a backward relationship. Near the various fonts often follow the character trend, pitching to nature, looking left and right, full of changes and harmonious unity. It is in this sense that the Qing Dynasty calligrapher Bao Shichen also pointed out that "Henan (Chu Suiliang) is like a peacock converting to Buddhism, and flowers scattering golden screens", and the calligraphy works have reached the level of perfection.

[Tang] Yu Shinan Confucius Temple Monument (Tuoben)

In addition, the Chu book is not only beautiful in form, but also the content it carries. The content of the Chu book is elegantly worded, and there is also a strong color of the text in the form of the article. The "Inscription of Master Meng" written by Cen Wen and Chu Suiliangshu describes the rhetoric of Master Meng's character in terms of use and the "New Language of the World", for example, the article describes Master Meng as "the morality of Ling Frost must be observed in Xuandong, and the sincerity of the bandit stone is sworn to be born in the white blade", reflecting the style of pursuing the character's elegance and discipline, reflecting the influence of the tradition of pinzao characters in the culture of the Wei and Jin dynasties. This is also reflected in other works written by Chu Suiliang, such as the Sacred Order of the Wild Goose Pagoda, which describes Master Xuanzang as "young with chastity, early in the heart of the three voids; changqi look, the first bud four ninjas." Song Feng Shui Yue is not enough than its Qinghua, Xianlu Pearl Can Fang Qi Lang Run". These are said to have been the relics of the Zang characters since the Wei and Jin dynasties. Although the Sacred Order of the Wild Goose Pagoda was written by Tang Taizong and others, as a close official document, it is likely to be the crystallization of a collective wisdom, especially as Tang Taizong's trusted minister who was good at literature and the writer of his works, which may also reflect some of Chu Suiliang's values and ideas. It is particularly noteworthy that the extant Chu Suiliang's works "Order of the Sacred Teachings of the Wild Goose Pagoda", "Monument to the Shrine of the Yique Buddha" and "Monument to Master Meng" are related to religion, reflecting the influence of the flourishing situation of religion on Chu Suiliang since the Six Dynasties.

The level of Chu Suiliang's calligraphy works is also limited by his writing habits, and is closely related to whether the pen and ink are good when creating. When discussing the characteristics of his calligraphy, Pei Xingjian, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty, once discussed Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang, pointing out: "Chu Suiliang is not a fine pen and ink, he has not tasted the book, he does not choose pen and ink and Isjean, only Yu and Yu Shinan'er. It can be seen from this that Chu Suiliang is a person who pursues perfection and even some harsh details, and it is not difficult to imagine from it that his calligraphy must be sitting in a precarious position and having a correct attitude, not as relaxed as some literati calligraphers of the Song Dynasty such as Su Shi and Mi Fu. According to other historical sources, when Chu Suiliang was alive, he paid attention to his calligraphy strengths and his position in the history of calligraphy, and left a good story. Once, Chu Suiliang asked Yu Shinan how his calligraphy was compared to that of Zen master Zhiyong, and Yu Shinan replied, "If you smell that he has fifty thousand yuan in one word, how can an official do this?" He also asked, "How about Ouyang inquiry?" Yu Shinan replied, "If you don't choose paper and pencil when you inquire, you can do as you wish, so why should the official do this?" Hearing this, Chu Suiliang was a little dissatisfied: "Since, why should you pay more attention to this?" At this time, Yu Shinan pointed out the evaluation of Chu Suiliang's calligraphy, "If you make your hands and pen tones, you will meet your collaborators, and you will also be deeply valuable." For this evaluation, Chu Suiliang was relatively satisfied, so he "retreated with joy." Obviously, the quality of Chu Suiliang's calligraphy works sometimes needs to be "looking at the state", not only to have a feel, but also to have requirements for pen and ink, and for the content of the work and other related factors.

Like other calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty, Chu Suiliang advocated the Fadu, so that some calligraphy evaluators, while recognizing his diligence and strength, also believed that this style was inevitably suspected of some excessive carving traces, such as Chu Shu often lacked changes in the glyphs of the same word in the same work, and seemed to be bound by the rules and measures, giving people a sense of lack of natural and flexible. Perhaps in this sense, Li Sizhen commented on Chu Suiliang' "Chu ShiLin's writing of the Right Army, which is also high-footed, richly carved, and prosperous today, but hates nature, and is diligent and diligent."

In short, as a calligrapher with a profound influence on future generations, Chu Suiliang created his own style while integrating the style of his predecessors, with both rigidity and softness in brushwork, ingenuity in conception, meticulous in writing attitude, and his works also conveyed many cultural factors of the Jiangnan Shi ethnic group since the Wei and Jin dynasties.

[Tang] Chu Suiliang MengShi Monument (Tuoben)

2. Chu Suiliang's calligraphy and Datang meteorology

Regarding the calligraphy of the early Tang Dynasty, Cen Zhongmian, an expert in Tang history, pointed out: "The early Tang Dynasty characters were vigorous and strong, and they were promoted to Jin and Song Feng, and became fat after the opening of the Yuan. As some scholars have pointed out, driven by Tang Taizong's admiration for Wang Xi's style, "The forest of Han Mo was actually dominated by the Southern Sect, so there were many courtiers from above and below, and there were many scholars, and the three families of Ouyang Qian, Yu Shinan, and Chu Suiliang stood on their own feet, each with its own face, and the inquiry won with danger, Yu won with flattery, and Chu won with Beauty." ...... At this time, Fang Xuanling, Yan Yuansun, Pei Xingjian and the like, although they were famous courtiers, their book style was mostly confined to Shu Langjun." That is to say, after Tang Taizong's praise and admiration of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and the depreciation of the Southern Dynasty's overly gorgeous and delicate styles of other schools, a writing style was formed at that time, which was strong and powerful in the use of the pen, and well-organized in structure, with a kind of uplifting and prosperous atmosphere. This trait is consistent with the pioneering and self-improvement style of the early Tang Dynasty, and has a spillover effect, which widely affects the social atmosphere at that time and the style of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty and later.

In addition to Chu Suiliang, other calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty, although they had their own strengths in style, also had the mark of the era of rigidity and self-improvement. For example, Ouyang Qian's calligraphy, the lines are straight and sharp, "often forming a square cliff like a nearly ninety degree gui angle at the folding pen", in the side of the structure, there is a towering trend, it is commented as "strong and dangerous" and "if the spear of the arsenal"; and Yu Shinan's calligraphy, although the strength is not as strong as Ouyang Qian, still contains a strong and square rhyme in the calm and beautiful run, "Zi Rong shows out, Zhi Yong is in Yan, Xiuling is dangerous, and everywhere rises... and its twilight teeth, to be relaxed". Zhang Huaihuan also specifically compared the nuances of the two strong and strong styles of Ouyang Zhen and Yu Shinan: "Ou Zhi is easy to know for the eagle falcon, Yu is difficult to know for the eagle falcon", "Yu is strong and soft, Ou is exposed, and the gentleman hides the instrument, and Yu is superior." In fact, the reason why Chu Suiliang was reused by Tang Taizong's cronies was also because it fit this style of the early Tang Dynasty. According to historical records, after Yu Shinan's death, Tang Taizong felt lonely and lamented that "no one can discuss books", at which time Wei Zheng recommended Chu Suiliang to Tang Taizong, and said that "Chu Suiliang's pen was vigorous, and even Wang Yi was less than a body". Hearing this assessment, "Emperor Taizong summoned him to serve on the same day." Chu Shu's style is close to that of Yu Shu, which caters to the aesthetic tendencies of Tang Taizong and is a key factor in Chu Suiliang's successful ascension to the throne.

Tang Taizong pursued bone strength and paid attention to rigidity when discussing calligraphy. He pointed out: "If the word is based on God as the essence, if the god does not know, then the word has no attitude; with the heart as the bone, if the heart is not firm, then the word is not strong; with the side hair as the skin, if the side is not round, then the word is not warm and moist." "Now that I am in the book of the ancients, I do not learn from its situation, but seek its bone strength, and the situation is born on its own." What I do, I do first, and I can achieve it with results. Tang Taizong's calligraphy also pursues male, strong, strong, sharp, fast, and angular, and is dissatisfied with the frivolous and vulgar atmosphere, such as he put forward in the "Pen Technique": "For the sake of skimming must be plundered, noble and dangerous and vigorous", "for vertical Bi Nu, noble battle and male", "Nu should not be straight, straight is powerless", "Skimming the whisker pen edge is left out and profitable", "Pecking whiskers lie down on the pen and be sick", "The fu point should be angular, avoid round and flat, more expensive than change". He also compared calligraphy with commanding war: "When he was a young man, he was frequently attacked by enemies, and the beginning of the righteous banner was to calm the rebellion." There must be a command in charge of the golden drum, and when you look at its formation, you will know the strength or weakness. If I am weak against him, if I am strong, if I am weak, if the enemy is weak, if I do not chase more than a hundred and dozens of steps, if I strike at his weakness, I will burst through his formation, and he will return from his back, and all of them will collapse. Use this more to win, and think deeply about it. In the book of the ancients, I do not learn from its situation, but seek its bone strength, and the situation grows on its own. What I do, I do first, and I can achieve it with results. Obviously, in Tang Taizong's view, penmanship and war are similar in terms of bone strength or tenacity.

Compared with song dynasty calligraphy, the era of early Tang calligraphy can be more clearly seen. Mi Fu believes: "Ou, Yu, Chu, Liu, and Yan are all books. How can it be a waste of time? In Mi Fu's view, the Tang Dynasty's calligraphy is a "one-stroke book", which has the characteristics of being too neat and laborious, and the individual play is not enough, so it cannot be called a real work of art that can be passed down for a long time. In another place, Mi Fu was more blunt in criticizing the Tang people: "The true book is good for the sake of peace and righteousness, and this secular theory is also the loss of the Tang people." Once, When Emperor Huizong of Song asked Mi Fu how he evaluated his calligraphy, Mi Fu replied, "Chenshu brushes the words", and an uninhibited mentality of game pen and ink jumps out of the paper. The thin gold body of Emperor Huizong of Song is also a representative of this style, which is very ostentatious in form and pursues exaggerated brushstrokes. Liang Wei pointed out: "Jin Shangyun, Tang Shangfa, Song Shangyi, Yuan Ming Shangshi. Wu Dexuan also believes: "The calligraphy of the Tang dynasty is strict and fruitful, but the rhyme is small. After the second king, Fun Mo is deeper than the Young Master, and Yun Mo is better than Dongpo, which can make up for the Tang Dynasty's shortcomings. Compared with the Strict Tang People, the Song people seem to have a special affection for the brushwork and charm with literati overtones.

In contrast, the process of Tang people's writing is often sitting in danger, and their spirits are highly concentrated, for which Tang Taizong said with deep feeling: "When the husband wants to write, when the audience listens to it, he is desperate to concentrate on it." If the heart is righteous and harmonious, it is in line with the mysterious; if the mind is not right, the words are on the side; if the spirit is not harmonious, the book will be subverted. Its Tao is the same as the instrument of the Lu Temple, the void is broken, the full is covered, and the middle is correct. The right one, the sum of the word also. "The views of the Song people are in stark contrast with the calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty such as Tang Taizong and Chu Suiliang, who pay attention to hand-to-hand and pen harmony, and are upright and peaceful, reflecting the calligraphy aesthetics of the Song people different from the Tang people. Compared with the two, the calligraphers of the Song Dynasty had a sense of ingenuity and slackness. Wang Shu pointed out: "Before the Tang Dynasty, the style of writing was introverted, and the spirit of the books after the Song Dynasty was expanded, but the calligraphy was different, and it was also the reason for the rise and fall of the world's fortunes. It can be said that compared with the two, the exaggerated form of the Song people and the spiritual introversion of the Tang people also reflect the difference in meteorology and the rise and fall of the national situation.

In addition to the common Shangfa and Jinjian styles, the calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty also shared a cultural tradition, that is, the admiration of Wang Xizhi as a cultural symbol. In fact, under the influence of jiangnan shi culture since the Wei and Jin dynasties, calligraphy has gradually departed from the simple note-keeping function and become a highly skilled art, with a relatively high threshold, and calligraphy appreciation has also become a science. During the Southern Dynasty and song dynasties, the calligrapher Yang Xin listed the calligraphers from Li Si to the end of the Jin Dynasty in the "Names of People who collected ancient books", and after entering the Eastern Jin Dynasty, they were all southern dynasty calligraphers, and the representative figures covered the main nobles who migrated south, such as the Langya Wang clan, the Taiyuan Wang clan, the Gaoping Xi clan, the Yingchuan Yu clan, the Chen Junxi clan, and the Gaoyang Xu clan. Among the nobles and nobles of the Six Dynasties, and between the nobles and the emperors, they frequently wrote calligraphy works and calligraphy figures. To a certain extent, calligraphy, as a way of aristocratic pleasure, is an appendage of Jiangnan Shishi politics and an important carrier of its culture. As a descendant of the Jiangnan Shi clan, Chu Suiliang has a natural affinity and advantage in calligraphy, and his father and Yu Shinan, Ouyang Qian, etc. are also jiangnan cultural groups and have close contacts, which ensures that he can hear about this cultural tradition from an early age. Shi Zai Chu Suiliang "served the Yu prison in the young, and the long one zu described the right army." The real book is very charming, Ruo Yaotai Qingxuan, Qiu Ying Chunlin, Beauty Chan Juan, it seems not to let Luo Qi, Zenghua Qiao, Ou Yu Xiezhi." Chu Suiliang later imitated Wang Xizhi's calligraphy for a long time, and his calligraphy style became more and more mature in imitation. The opportunity for this change was to serve Emperor Taizong of Tang, identify the authenticity of Wang Xizhi's works collected by the Inner Palace, and compile the "Bibliography of Wang Xizhi", which contained 40 posts of the main book and 18 posts of the xingshu. It can be said that for Chu Suiliang, calligraphy is a kind of cultural capital or cultural resource, and this advantage was quickly transformed into a political status under the background of Tang Taizong's enthusiasm for calligraphy and admiration for Wang Xizhi's style.

For Tang Taizong, his admiration for calligraphy, especially Wang Xizhi, in addition to whitewashing Wenzhi, also had the intention of competing for cultural leadership under the juxtaposition of the three systems and cultural traditions of Guanlong, Shandong and Jiangnan in the early Tang Dynasty. The commentary on the Biography of Wang Xi of the Book of Jin was written by Emperor Taizong of Tang, which is also one of the few emperors who personally wrote praise in the history of official revision. In his commentary, Tang Taizong pointed out: "Examine the ancient and modern times in detail, study the fine seals, subordinates, and perfection, and its only Wang Yi is less than ... The heart is chasing, this person is just that, the rest of the district, what a foot!" In Tang Taizong's view, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is a perfect existence in the history of calligraphy, compared with others. Tang Taizong's views are not a simple exposition in the history of calligraphy, but are targeted and political, and with the help of his imperial political power, he established the status of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. All along, around Wang Xian's father and son who is more outstanding, successive generations of litigation have been endless, and Yu Gong of the Southern Dynasty song dynasty pointed out that "the second king of the late Jin Dynasty was called Ying". Xie An once asked Wang Xianzhi whether his calligraphy was superior to that of his father, and Wang Xianzhi replied, "So Dangsheng (Wang Xizhi)" Many nobles in the Southern Dynasty also favored and more beautiful Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy. Especially after the Tang Dynasty, some people believe that Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy is higher than his father's, such as Mi Fu, who likes the beautiful Wang Xianzhi more, and even says that "Zi Jing (Wang Xianzhi) is naïve and transcendent, and his father (Wang Xizhi) is comparable." It can be seen from the above that Tang Taizong did not accept it in the process of borrowing Jiangnan cultural resources, but chose Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, which is known for his bone posture, rather than Wang Xianzhi's style of winning with flattery according to his aesthetic trend. Zhang Huaihuan spoke highly of Tang Taizong's calligraphy: "Great deeds, listed in the annals of history, multi-talented, subservient to the human realm, the magic of pen and ink, the use of divine skills, the rules of opening grass, the transformation of Zhang Wang's present and ancient, perfect perfection, no virtue and no virtue." In Zhang Huaihuan's view, Tang Taizong applied his multi-talented and versatile talents to calligraphy and achieved outstanding results. Zhu Changwen also expressed a similar meaning, he said: "(Tang Taizong) shou and Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang on calligraphy, both of them are sages, because of their discussion of books, but also political. Han Mo waved, Yan Jinyan Yi, Luan Feng FeiYi, Qiu Long Leaping, Miao Zhi Zhi Also. The emperor is good at using soldiers, destroying the direction, the world is fine, and the courage to use soldiers is seen in the book, then the book is royal! Tang Taizong himself also said to the courtiers: "The path of calligraphy is not an urgent task at the beginning, and sometimes it is better to pay attention than to abandon the day." Those who have not learned and are unable to learn in all kinds of arts are also sick in their mental sluggishness and cannot concentrate on their ears. In another place, he pointed out: "If you care about hesitation, you are ancient and profound; if you care about frivolity, you are vulgar and upright." Picking and picking, turnip, and filth, almost Han Mo. If you are detached from the specialty and self-discipline, and if you are not taught by the teacher, then the diseases will rise up, and the hengjian disciples will hang in the clouds. Obviously, calligraphy is a cultural style that can be learned for Tang Taizong. In the early Tang Dynasty, although the Li clan gained supreme power as a representative of the Guanlong nobility, but the Huhua Han people, in the face of the successive crowns and the tradition of the Shandong Shi clan had many disadvantages, for example, in the early years of Zhenguan compiled the "Clan Chronicle", although Tang Taizong ordered three orders and five Shen, but at the time of the initial compilation of the Shandong Shi clan Cui Mingan was still listed as the first class, the imperial court ministers Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, etc. were also proud of marrying the Shandong Shi clan, until two hundred years later Tang Wenzong wanted to marry the Shandong Shi clan Zheng daughter for the crown prince and still could not get it. In this case, with the help of calligraphy, Tang Taizong reached a consensus with the Jiangnan Shi clan, and also tried to obtain cultural resources to compete with the Shandong Shi clan. In fact, in a certain sense, the style of calligraphy in the early Tang Dynasty was also formed by Tang Taizong's selection of cultural elements and different styles of the same regional culture in the process of competing for cultural leadership.

In summary, Chu Suiliang's calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty is not an isolated phenomenon, although its calligraphy style is different from Tang Taizong, Yu Shinan, Ouyang Qing and others, but in the general direction and the reverence for the calligraphy tradition since Wang Xizhi and the use of cultural resources are consistent, reflecting the early Tang Dynasty's uplifting era weather and a realistic consideration of politics.

[Tang] Chu Suiliang Yanta Sacred Order (Tuoben)

Third, the question of "words as they are" - about the political background of Chu Suiliang's art

Words are like people, but people seem to be more complex than words. In history, the image of Chu Suiliang is multifaceted, the founder of a school of calligraphy, a straight minister of the society, a morally perfect person, and a courtier who rejects dissidents. These intertwined assertions once blurred Chu Suiliang's image. Later generations recognized Chu Suiliang's learning and conduct, such as Zhang Huailiang's evaluation of Chu Suiliang's "erudition and general knowledge, wang Zuocai, and loyal ministers". Zhu Changwen also admired Chu Suiliang's character: "The so-called indisputable ones of the ancients are those who are incapable of the great festival, and Chu Gong has them. He also believes that the reason why the Yonghui Dynasty has the style of chastity is because Chu Suiliang and the eldest son Wuji are two people who work together to assist the government and take the world as their own responsibility. Some scholars of the Song Dynasty further expanded this view, viewing Chu Suiliang as a morally perfect person, and even based on this denial that Chu Suiliang excluded Liu Xun and other acts of cracking down on political enemies.

Although Chu Suiliang helped Tang Taizong identify the true works of Wang Xi hidden in the Inner Palace, the interaction between them was not something that could be described by the relationship between the emperor and the literary courtiers. Chu Suiliang was deeply trusted by Emperor Taizong of Tang. In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (644), Tang Taizong and Changsun Wuji and others discussed the gains and losses of the chancellors, and commented: "Chu Suiliang was slightly more learned, and his nature was also strong, and he wrote loyalty and was very close to Yuan, such as birds relying on people and self-pity. Tang Taizong bluntly said that Chu Suiliang was loyal, and compared Chu Suiliang's relationship with himself to a bird and a person, which shows his cronies for Chu Suiliang. Before Emperor Taizong died, he summoned Chu Suiliang and eldest grandson Wujie to enter the bedchamber: "Qing and other loyal martyrs, Jane is in the heart." Xi Hanwu sent Huo Guang, Liu Beituo Ge Liang, and after the death, one was entrusted to the secretary. Crown Prince Renxiao, as the Secretary knows, must sincerely assist and protect the Zongshe. Then he said to the prince: "There is no scruples, Sui Liang is here, and the affairs of the country are worry-free." Obviously, Tang Taizong had a high degree of trust in Chu Suiliang, and this attitude was completely different from his attitude toward Li Ji and other "Shandong Haojie"—"both to envelop them, but also to be jealous of them in his heart, and unable to push his heart."

Tang Taizong's pity for Chu Suiliang was not only reflected in the appointment of him as a minister on his deathbed. We can also glimpse this from the exhortations recorded in historical books such as the Zhenguan Politicians, the Old Book of Tang, and the New Book of Tang. Taking stock of Chu Suiliang's many exhortations to Tang Taizong, in addition to curbing extravagance, taking good faith as the basis, performing the duties of historical officials, restoring Gao Changguo, and suspending the conquest of Goryeo, it also involved a particularly sensitive topic, that is, the so-called "imperial family affairs", which many ministers who were wise and self-protective would often keep their mouths shut.

In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan (642), Emperor Taizong asked his courtiers, "What is the most urgent thing in the country today?" Gao Shilian believed that it was to feed the people, Liu Huan believed that it was Fu Siyi, Cen Wenwen believed that it was the most urgent thing to be righteous, and Chu Suiliang believed: "The prince and the kings must have a definite point, and His Majesty should be the descendant of the Ten Thousand Generations Law, which is the most urgent thing today." Emperor Taizong endorsed this statement. For another example, in the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (644), Chu Suiliang suggested that the emperor's supply was less than that of the princes, and suggested that the shortcomings of the brothers should be filled, and he pointed out: "The courtiers hear that the emperor's teaching orders are called the wind, and the people follow the customs." His Majesty is thicker than his brothers, and the prince is also thicker than his brothers. ”

It can be seen from this that an important concern of Chu Suiliang is the highly sensitive issue of power succession. Although others have also said this kind of thing, there is no such earnestness and clear-cut statement as Chu Suiliang. In fact, Emperor Taizong of Tang had placed Wei Zheng alongside Chu Suiliang and included him among the direct advisors. He once said to his eldest grandson Wujie: "Since the emperor of the world, he has an open heart and integrity, that is, Wei Zheng has entered the court day and night." After his death, Liu Huan, Cen Wenwen, Ma Zhou, chu Suiliang, and others followed. Shi Zai, "Suiliang before and after the admonition and Chen cheap book dozens of times, most commonly adopted." Judging from the situation in "Zhenguan Politicians", the areas of advice are mostly concentrated in the relationship between self-cultivation and governing the country, listening to advice, creating and keeping the relationship, tempering lust, thinking of danger in times of peace, stressing honesty, modesty and prudence, caution and fear, and using wisdom and far-reaching, and rarely involves the relationship between the father and son of the monarch. Perhaps in view of the lessons of the Xuanwumen Revolution, Wei Zheng adopted a cautious attitude in the dispute over the crown prince during the Zhenguan period. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), when Li Zhi was made crown prince, Wei Zheng was appointed as the crown prince's master, and Wei Zheng offered to resign. After Tang Taizong's personal persuasion, he took office. From this, it can be seen that Tang Taizong has great trust in Chu Suiliang, and it can also be seen that Chu Suiliang is politically capable of seeing small things and has considerable insight. That is to say, Chu Suiliang was not a minister of Hai You, and he was also different from Cai Jing, Yan Song and other courtiers.

Some historical calligraphy commentaries and some historians of the Song Dynasty have tried to regard Chu Suiliang as a morally perfect person from the perspective of the "character person" consensus. However, there is one point that is always difficult to get around, that is, Chu Suiliang's political career has adopted some "unbright" means of suppressing political opponents, and for this reason, some commentators in the Song Dynasty often denied these historical facts in order to maintain Chu Suiliang's morally perfect image. But when we carefully comb through the historical data, these political actions have actually happened. For example, when Sima Guang compiled the Zizhi Tongjian, he did not accept Chu Suiliang's false accusation against Liu Xunzhi, believing that "what no one in this matter did, Suiliang was loyal and upright, and had no grudges, so why is this so"! For this reason, he also speculated that this was Xu Jingzong's framing of Chu Suiliang when he was revising the record. Liu Huan was a direct and able minister of the Zhenguan Dynasty. The New Book of Tang records in detail Chu Suiliang's framing of Liu Huan: "(Liu) Huan and Chu Suiliang are not compatible. Emperor Huan, bu yu, Huan and Ma Zhou entered and waited, out, saw Sui Liang, and wept: "The upper body suffers from carbuncles, and it is very frightening!" Sui Liang was slanderous: "The state is not worried, just as the auxiliary young lord is doing Yi and Huoshi, and the ministers have different ones, they are cursed." 'Emperor Yu, summon the question, and lead Ma Zhou to the left. Sui Liang was persistent, and the emperor was confused, but he gave death. In Liu Huan's case, what Liu Huan expressed was concern for Tang Taizong's health, but chu Suiliang distorted it to mean that even if Li Shimin's physical condition was in trouble, there was not enough to worry about state affairs, and Liu Huan would rightfully regard himself as Yi Yin and Huo Guang, and punish the disobedient courtiers. According to this statement, Liu Huan touched the imperial succession to the imperial "family affair" and forbidden neck, which obviously angered Li Shimin's reverse scales. Li Shimin, who had experienced the change of Xuanwu Gate, must have been extremely vigilant about this matter, and in order to prevent trouble and maintain the stability of the power change behind him, he had to do the "Zhou Gong Jie Guan, Cai, Ji You Shu Ya" again and execute Liu Huan. Chu Suiliang, who was well versed in the history of the classics, cleverly exploited this psychology of Li Shimin to put Liu Huan, a political opponent who supported Li Tai, to death. In this regard, Chu Suiliang vaguely mentioned this matter to Li Zhi when he was exiled in his later years: "The former Chengqian (that is, the deposed crown prince Li Chengqian) was abolished, cen wenwen and Liu Huan played the words that the Eastern Palace should not be absent, it is advisable to send the King of Pu (that is, Li Tai) to live in it, and the subjects lead the righteousness to stubbornly fight." In addition to framing Liu Xun, Chu Suiliang also retaliated against the well-known inspector Yushi Weisiqian, excluding Li Qianyou, Cui Renshi, Lu Chengqing, Li Daozong and other courtiers, and causing some of them to die of depression. It can be seen from the above that Chu Suiliang is politically old-fashioned, unequivocal in cracking down on political enemies, and some of the measures he has adopted are not very "upright."

To understand this further, it may be necessary to make a footnote to the chu family's performance in hundreds of years of political history. As a family of senior officials, the Chu family has a tradition of political compromise, and it may be more accurate to judge its political behavior from the judgment of the political situation rather than the attachment to political morality. The Chu family has been crowned endlessly for hundreds of years. Chu Suiliang's distant ancestor Chu Shaosun, a doctor of classics in the Western Han Dynasty, was highly accomplished in Lu Shi and wrote some chapters of the Records of History such as the Chronicle of Emperor Wu. By combing through the "Book of Jin", "Book of Song", "Book of Liang", "Book of Southern Qi", "Southern History" and other historical books, Chu's original origin was Yang Zhai, and Chu Yu moved to Danyang with the Jin Yuan Emperor's clothes and crown, and his descendants moved to Qiantang. Since chu qi, who was a county official and then a general of Andong when he was emperor of the Jin Dynasty, he has gone through the Western Jin Dynasty, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, the Qi, the Liang, chen, sui, and Tang dynasties since he moved to Danyang, and has gone through thirteen generations in Chu Suiliang, namely Chu Qi (guan to general Andong), Chu Qia (official to Wuchang Taishou), Chu Qi (official to Wuchang Taishou), Chu Qi (official to the envoys, the governor Xu Yan Erzhou military, Xuzhou Assassin History, the general of Zhengbei, Kaifu Yi Tongsan division, Duxiang Hou, who presided over the Northern Expedition), Chu Xin (guan to the scattered horse changshi, secretary supervisor), Chu Shuang (guan yixing taishou, posthumously awarded the golden purple guanglu doctor), Chu Xiuzhi (Guan da Sima Lang Evil King Zhonglang, Huangmen Shilang, SongWu Emperor Xi Changshi), Chu Faxian (Guan Poyang Taishou), Chu Xuan (Guanzhi Fuguo General, Official Shangshu), Chu Xiang (Yi Zuo Hui, Guan Zhongshu Shilang, Prince Zhi Zhi Ling, Yu Shi Zhongcheng, Xiangdong Wangfu Consulted and joined the army), Chu Meng (Prince Sheren), Chu Jie (Guan Huainan Wang Changshi, Yushi Zhongcheng, posthumous secretary supervisor), Chu Liang (Guan Huangmen Shilang, Marquis of Yangzhai County), Chu Suiliang (Guan Zai Xiang, Duke of Henan County).

The Chu family has stood firm in the course of hundreds of years for the following reasons: First, it has continued to marry the royal and Jiangnan Shi clans. Chu's daughter Chu Garlic was empress dowager of the Jin Kang Emperor and was crowned empress dowager three times; Empress Liu Song Xiaogong, daughter of Chu Shuang; descendants of the Chu family married Princess Liu Song many times; and the Jiangnan clans such as the Wang, Jiang, and Yu clans were all related to the Chu clan. Second, choose political compromise in the midst of power change. Although Chu Xiuzhi and Chu Tan's brothers were in-laws of the Jin Dynasty and their sister was Empress Gong of Jin, they were loyal to Emperor Wu of Song; Chu Xiuzhi's grandson Chu Yuan, as a minister of Liu Song, betrayed his colleagues and became the founding father of Southern Qi. In addition, the Chu clan enjoyed power and reputation among the Jiangnan Shi clan. Chu Shuang was well-known in the circle of celebrities when he was young, and Xie An once praised Chu Shuang for "if the period of life (Chu Shuangzi) is not good, I will not repeat the discussion of the scholar." Chu Xuan, Chu Zhao and others were also praised by the Wang Xie family.

From the above combing of the Chu family history, it can be seen that in the era of change, the royal family is unpredictable, the people are unpredictable, and only the scholar clan has maintained a relatively stable inheritance. In this era of centuries-long political turmoil, the maintenance of political survival by the family clan is not a simple political morality as considered by the Confucians of the Song Dynasty, but a more long-term and prudent political consideration. This need to sustain the family's survival prompted them to do something morally debatable, as the aforementioned Chu family history reveals. The political habits of the Chu family, which they had developed in the long and brutal political struggle, also had a profound impact on Chu Suiliang.

In short, Chu Suiliang is not a morally perfect person, he is an old and hot politician. Chu Suiliang's different actions in the political arena at the end of Zhenguan and the early years of Yonghui were essentially a political act, a political activity rooted in specific interests and living conditions and formed a specific political relationship, around the struggle for and use of political power and status at that time. In the early years of Yonghui, the reason why Chu Suiliang chose to oppose the deposed empress dowager and Li Wu Zetian was not only to repay Tang Taizong's kindness, but also because in the process of long-term confrontation with the Shandong Shi clan and Shandong Haojie, as a representative of the Jiangnan Shi clan, he was deeply bound to the Guanlong nobles. Chu Suiliang's stand up against Li Wu Zetian was not only a matter of political loyalty to the former dynasty, but a political struggle between the two major political groups. This is not about political principles, but about a struggle for strength. Facts have also proved that after Empress Wang was deposed, Li Suiliang's family gained power, and the characters of the eldest son Wuji and Chu Suiliang were deposed and deposed, and it was not until after the death of Wu Zetian decades later that they were rehabilitated and recalled, just as the Chu Suiliang family showed in the succession from the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty and the replacement of Song to Qi, Chu Suiliang's blows to political enemies and resistance to Wu Zetian's establishment, and it is not a simple summary of the aforementioned expositions such as Zhang Huaihuan and Zhu Changwen, "loyal ministers also" and "the so-called insurmountable people of the ancient world". Rather, it is a political act that transcends morality, which goes beyond the simple discourse of "words as they are".

conclusion

Chu Suiliang was a highly accomplished calligrapher in art. He formed his own characteristics on the basis of drawing on the style of Wang Xizhi and others, and his works were both square and round, comfortable and thin, cleverly conceived, the characters were pitched to nature, strong and square, harmonious and rigorous, cherished by the world at present, and adopted by future generations, and later generations evaluated it as "the master of tang's vast education" in calligraphy.

To a certain extent, Chu Suiliang's calligraphy is also a mirror of Tang Dynasty calligraphy and even culture. If we expand the analytical perspective to the calligraphy styles of Chu Suiliang's contemporaries Yu Shinan, Ouyang Qing, Tang Taizong and others, we find that the entire Tang Dynasty calligraphy, especially the early Tang Dynasty calligraphy, has a high-spirited and vigorous quality, so that even more subtle works often contain rigidity and softness, which is different from some of the more ostentatious and even exaggerated styles of calligraphy since the Song Dynasty. In this sense, the calligraphic style became a reflection of the style and weather of the times.

Chu Suiliang, as the chancellor of Emperor Taizong of Tang, can be said to be one of the highest-ranking calligraphers in history, and played an important role in the political arena of the late Zhenguan and the beginning of Yonghui. Although he was originally known for his calligraphy by Tang Taizong and was closely trusted by Tang Taizong, he was not a literary courtier, nor was he a morally perfect person as considered by Song Dynasty scholars. In the changes in the political situation, he has both the side of "flying birds and relying on people", the side of not being afraid of being strong, and the side of cracking down on political enemies. Chu Suiliang is a multi-dimensional person, and to evaluate his political behavior, it is necessary to go beyond the simple exposition of "words like his people", and dig deeper into the deep logic behind his political behaviors such as his Jiangnan shi family origin and the political pattern of the early Tang Dynasty.

(Author Affilications: Jingyi Xu, Harvard University; Hongqiang Liu, Tsinghua University; Hairuo Hu, Cornell University; Yiyi Xu, University College London)