There is no word painting in the home

Wang Shimei

Ledu District, Haidong City, Qinghai Province, has a long history, and the discovery of many archaeological sites proves that at least 4,000 years ago, ancient ancestors flourished and created a splendid culture here.

Rubbings of the Monument of the Three Elders Zhao Tuan. Wang Shimei remake

Calligraphy is a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation and a precious wealth of human civilization. There is a saying in Ledu: "There is no word and painting in the house, and you are ashamed to be a Lotu person." "Ledu people's love for calligraphy seems to have long been immersed in the bone marrow and melted into the blood. Today, of the more than 280,000 people in Ledu District, about 10,000 people can create calligraphy works. In 2013, Le du was named "The Hometown of Chinese Calligraphy" by the Chinese Calligraphers Association, making it the only region in Qinghai Province to receive this honor.

From the Liuwan faience symbol to the plaque of Zhu Yuanzhang's edict qutan temple

It is difficult to determine when the culture of Ledu originated. It can be seen from the sites found in Ledu and the excavated millet, millet and other crops that at least 4,000 years ago, the Ledu area has entered an agricultural civilization.

When life was stable and prosperous, people began to pursue beauty. In Ledu, "the faience here flows into a river", and on these faience pottery, the original ancestors painted many intricate ornaments.

In the Liuwan cemetery, some pigment processing tools and painting tools have been unearthed, coupled with the smooth pattern of brushwork on Liuwan faience pottery, archaeologists deduce that people at that time may have begun to use brushes, they either used wool as a pen, or a bundle of grass as a pen, or folded branches as a pen, dipped in paint, and painted various ornaments on the faience.

The various painted symbols drawn by the ancient ancestors seem to be a puzzle left to future generations, which makes people think. Academics believe that these faience ornaments have "had relatively stable literary characteristics".

Fragments of the Monument of the Three Old Zhao Tuan. Wang Shimei remake

The Naxi are ethnic minorities living in the southwest region of China, and the script they use is called the Naxi Dongba script. Some experts have researched that the Naxi people originated from the ancient Chinese Qiang people, who set out from Qinghai during the Qin and Han Dynasties, migrated south along the Yalong River and Jinsha River, and finally arrived in Yunnan. It is not difficult to compare the Liuwan faience symbol with the Naxi script, and there are many Naxi Dongba scripts that are very similar to the Liuwan faience symbol.

The earliest work of the era found in Qinghai and of calligraphy artistic value is the Three Old Zhao Steles. It is known as the First Monument of Qinghai and is one of the few Han monuments found in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. When this stele was unearthed, it attracted the attention of the national archaeological and calligraphy circles.

In the 1940s, the Three Old Zhao Stele was excavated in Ledu. The complete stele of the Three Old Zhao Stele is engraved with 6 large characters of the Great Seal Book "The Monument of the Three Old Zhao Tuan", and the full text has 694 characters of the Han Dynasty Zhengli, and the fall is "Guanghe and November of the Third Year Ding Did Not Make". Unfortunately, because of the fire, the three old Zhao Stele was destroyed, and now only a large piece of the stele remains, which is stored in the Qinghai Provincial Museum.

The Three Old Zhao Steles are the best in the Han Dynasty, and the calligraphy circles have evaluated this stele as exquisite in body, and it is also the length of the monuments of Zhang Qian, Hua Shan, and the school officials, between Cao Quan and the Confucius Temple.

Over the years, the Three Elders Zhao Stele has become the foundation for the development of calligraphy art by ledu people. The Three Elders Of Zhao's Stele records the past of Hehuang during the Han Dynasty, including the record of Zhao Kuan's "teachings to later generations, more than a hundred people, all out of Junai, shi into the state capital". The name Of zhao is Zhao Kuan, and the name of zhao is an ancient official name. Zhao Kuan, as a calligrapher at that time, widely spread the art of calligraphy. Perhaps it was from then on that Ledu had an influential calligraphy education and calligraphy inheritance in the northwest.

Lao ya Gorge has been a major traffic route connecting Gansu and Qing since ancient times, and the walls on both sides of the canyon are thousands of people, and the water in the valley is turbulent and rushing endlessly. The "Chronicle of Nianbo County" records that there were moya stone carvings chiseled in the first year of the Tang Dynasty in Laoya Gorge, which is one of the representative works of Moya stone carvings in the Tang Dynasty in Hehuang area. According to the book, Yang Yingju, who served as an envoy to Xining Province during the Qianlong period, personally went to inspect the Tang Dynasty stone carvings in Laoyaxia, and in his compilation of the "New Chronicle of Xining Province", Yang Yingju wrote: "Yu Zeng personally went to his land and caressed it for a long time, but because the words were small and long, the wind and rain eroded, and they were blurred and could not be distinguished. Oh shit!"

In the Ledu Qutan Temple, there is a plaque given by the Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang to "Qutan Temple", and the three characters of "Qutan Temple" are majestic, solemn, and strict. In addition, there are many plaque inscriptions and inscriptions in Qutan Temple, all of which are rare calligraphy masterpieces, which are of great historical value and calligraphy appreciation value. These plaques and golden stone inscriptions eventually became an important foundation for the development of calligraphy in ledu.

Literati and inkers often visit and study in the Hehuang Monument Forest. Photo by Wang Shimei

From the ancient Qiang land in the pre-Qin period, to the Central Plains Dynasty in the Han Dynasty, to the successive dynasties that ruled Qinghai, Ledu has always been the center of Hehuang farming culture. With the implementation of the policy of emigration of the Central Plains Dynasty in successive dynasties, Han people from the Central Plains successively entered Ledu, and ledu culture became more and more prosperous, and the art of calligraphy became more and more popular, and finally integrated into the daily life of ordinary people.

Zuo Zongtang, Yu Youren, Zhao Tingxuan, Wu Yu of The Book of Ledu...

Literati and inkers are the main creators and disseminators of the art of calligraphy and painting, and their ink treasures are all treasures in the eyes of the people of Ledu.

For a long time in ancient China, calligraphy was a practical skill that readers must study, and it was also a "stepping stone" for readers to enter the world, and many officials who served in ledu in ancient times had more or less influence on the ledu book world.

During the Tang Dynasty, Le Du was the seat of the Long Right Jiedu Envoy, and all the successive Long Right Jiedu envoys were famous generals and ministers, and among these dozen Long Right Jiedu envoys, there were many people with calligraphy achievements. Gao Shi, a famous Tang Dynasty poet of the Border Plug, served as the left guard Cao Junjun and the chief secretary of the Geshuhan shogunate during the famous general Ge Shuhan's tenure as the envoy of the Long Right Festival, and lived in Hehuang for more than a year, leaving behind many poems related to the scenery of Qinghai mountains and rivers and major historical events. The "Fragments of Dunhuang Tang Poetry Collection" records that after Gao Shi, there were several highly accomplished literati such as Lü Wen and anonym poets passing through Qinghai.

Ledu is a must-pass place for the Qinghai Road of the Silk Road and the Tang Dynasty Ancient Road, and officials, envoys, merchants, and literati of successive dynasties have come and gone, and more and more books have been left in Ledu in the dynasties after the Tang Dynasty.

In Ledu, there are also many inscriptions and plaques left by officials and literati. The "Chronicle of Ledu County" records that Ledu now has "three monuments and one plaque". Zhang Dezu, a former professor of the History Department of Qinghai Normal University, introduced that among the three steles, one is the combined stele of Huijinglou and Fengshan Academy, the obverse is the "Record of nianbo huijinglou" written by Jinshi Chen Zhonglu, and the back is the "Monument to the Creation of Nianbo Fengshan Academy" written by Feng Xi of Nianbozhi County in the Daoguang period. The second passage is the "Monument to the Reconstruction of the Confucian Temple of Nianbo County" written by Yang Yingju, the envoy of Xining Province, and the third is the "Feng Yuxiang Quotation Stele" carved by Huo Can, the acting county magistrate during the Republic of China period. The first plaque is the plaque inscribed by Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu in the Qing Dynasty, for the Hongji Temple in Nianbo County. "These plaques are not only precious historical relics, but also important models for studying and studying the art of calligraphy." Zhang Dezu said.

Among the many literati who transited Ledu, there was also a calligraphy master who had a profound influence on the development of Ledu's calligraphy art, that is, Yu Youren. Mr. Yu Youren, who was a grandmaster of a generation, came to Qinghai in the winter of 1943 after his inspection work in Xinjiang, and during his stay in Ledu, he stayed in the Huijing Building of Tongle Park at that time. During his stay in Ledu, Mr. Yu Youren tasted the soft pears of Ledu and wrote the poem "The grapes of Hudao are sweet and sweet, and the ice and snow are soft and fragrant". When he saw a couplet written by the Ledu literati Li Langu and Lin Yude, "Looking around to see the scenery of the building and the platform, invigorating the spirit and resisting the flowers and trees are all soldiers", Yu Youren exclaimed: "This couplet has a profound meaning, the calligraphy is high and neat, and fully expresses the magnificence of qinghai's mountains and rivers and the determination of the nation to resist the war." This is not only an affirmation of this couplet, but also an affirmation and praise of Ledu, the hometown of calligraphy. Mr. Yu Youren also inscribed a plaque for Ledu Tongle Park "Return My Rivers and Mountains", and he also left dozens of precious ink treasures for Ledu scholars and the masses of the people at the request. This rich spiritual wealth has always been a cultural treasure of the Ledu people. These works have had a great artistic impact on Ledu, a land that values tradition, respects culture, and admires sages.

At that time, literati from other parts of Qinghai also left many works in Ledu, such as the "Spring and Autumn of the Righteous Table" plaque written by the Qing Dynasty Xining calligrapher Zhang Sixian, the poetry masterpieces left by the famous Xining cultural master Lai Weili, the ink treasure left by the calligrapher Li Deyuan, and so on.

In addition to the nourishment of transit officials and literati, the cultural development of Ledu is indispensable to the local literati. The Ming and Qing dynasties were an important period for the development of education and culture in Qinghai, especially in the Hehuang region. With the rise of Confucianism, especially the holding of Ledu Fengshan Academy, more and more students took the imperial examination. It is recorded in the "Xining Fu Xinzhi", "Xining Fu Continuation Zhi" and "Nianbo County Chronicle" that since the Ming and Qing dynasties, there have been 3 people in Nianbo County who have been admitted to the jinshi, 17 people who have been admitted to the examination, and 40 people who have been admitted to gongsheng. "These people have considerable achievements in calligraphy, including many calligraphers, who have played a positive role in promoting the development of calligraphy art in Ledu and even in the Hehuang area." Zhang Dezu said.

There are many intricate ornaments on Willow Bay faience pottery. Photo by Wang Shimei

There is such a sentence circulating in Ledu: "Xie Shanshu's article, Zhao Tingxuan's characters, Li Langu's Yang Lian, Wang Changsheng's plays." "Xie Shanshu, Zhao Tingxuan, and Li Langu are all cultural celebrities from Ledu, and their achievements in calligraphy are very high." Xie Shanshu's text Juan xiu, in the homes of many people in Ledu Nanshan, still hangs the middle hall and banners he wrote. Li Langu's writing power is profound, and he was once evaluated by Liu Xiaolan, a famous Confucian in Gansu, as "talented and rich in writing". Zhang Dezu said.

In Ledu, there is also Wu Yu, whose poetry is far and widely known, known as the crown of Qinghai literati, and his calligraphy is also excellent. The Qinghai Provincial Library has a collection of Wu Yu's handwritten poems, "Redundant Words and Manuscripts", and the four italic characters of "Redundant Words and Manuscripts" on the bookmark are charming and vigorous, and the characters in the poetry collection are naturally majestic and skillful, which shows the depth of his calligraphy skills.

Today, in the Ledu Nanshan and Hualong generations, there are still people singing the "Cross Strategy" written by Tang Shimao, a Member of the Ledu People. Tang Shimao is knowledgeable and talented in literature and history, and is known as "Daya Article Snow High". There is also the famous painter Guo Shiqing, who together with Fang Zhinan, Zhang Zhigang and Zhou Yizun and called the four major painters of the Republic of China in Qinghai, his paintings have both ancient laws and novel ideas, and the pen is dashing and handsome, not only has strong regional characteristics and national characteristics, but also exudes a strong atmosphere of local life, which is a treasure in the painting world. The calligraphy of Tang Shimao and Guo Shiqing is also highly respected in the local area.

These are just some of the many celebrities of Ledu calligraphy culture, as well as many ledu literati who are not well known to the outside world, who are hidden in the countryside of Ledu, but silently contribute to the spread of culture and the popularization of calligraphy art.

Manuscript source: Qinghai Daily client Statement: In addition to indicating the source of the manuscript, the above content is the original manuscript of Qinghai Daily, the copyright is owned by the media platform of Qinghai Daily, and it is strictly forbidden to reprint without written permission.