After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a hundred wastes are waiting to be revived, embracing national self-esteem, and holding the original intention of promoting Chinese calligraphy culture, in the enthusiastic appeal of Shen Yinmo and other calligraphers of the older generation, with the strong support of the party and the government, on April 8, 1961, the Shanghai Chinese Calligraphy and Seal Engraving Research Association (the predecessor of the Shanghai Calligraphers Association) was formally established, with Shen Yinmo as the chairman of the committee, Guo Shaoyu, Wang Geyi, Pan Boying as vice chairmen, Feng Zikai, Ye Luyuan, Lai Chusheng, Xie Zhiliu, Gu Tinglong and other 15 people as members. Hu Wensui and others served as full-time business cadres. This is the first public calligraphy social group in New China, which is of landmark significance in the history of calligraphy development.
Today, the symposium on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Calligraphers Association and the opening ceremony of the "Ruyin - Documentary Exhibition of the 60th Anniversary of the Shanghai Book Association" were held in the Shanghai Literary and Art Hall. In the past 60 years, the team of Shanghai Calligraphers Association has grown from the initial 89 people to more than 2300 people today, and has achieved gratifying results in creating exhibitions, academic theories, education and training, cooperation and exchanges, association construction, etc. Shanghai's calligraphy art industry has always shone with the artistic charm of inheriting classics and Shanghai characteristics with the pace of development of the times.
The original intention of carrying forward the calligraphy of the Guanghai School has never changed. The Shanghai Chinese Calligraphy and Seal Engraving Research Association (the predecessor of the Shanghai Calligraphers Association) was established in April, and in October it opened the Shanghai Youth Amateur Calligraphy Study Class at the Shanghai Youth Palace, where 79-year-old Shen Yinmo practiced it and taught with Bai Shuo, Ren Zheng, Weng Minyun, Hu Wensui and others. According to Zhou Zhigang, chairman of the Sixth Shanghai Book Association, the class was warmly welcomed, and 80 students were planned to enroll, and 800 people came to register. In order to satisfy everyone's enthusiasm for learning as much as possible, the research institute will try its best to increase the number of names in the study class, and also send calligraphers to various schools and institutions to teach. "I was studying in the art class of the Shanghai Publishing School, and the calligrapher who was sent to teach us was Hu Wensui, who came to give us half a day of calligraphy lessons every week for three consecutive years." Zhou Zhigao said that he originally studied cover design, and it was under the influence of Hu Wensui that he embarked on the road of calligraphy. After graduation, he also visited Shen Yinmo's home twice at the recommendation of his teacher, and the old man seriously helped him correct his homework despite his age. "I have kept these two assignments to this day and cherish them very much." Zhou Zhigao said that in the period of lack of spiritual culture, the Shanghai Youth Amateur Calligraphy Study Class greatly expanded the mass base of calligraphy, enabling many young people to embark on the road of learning traditional classics, including Zhou Huijun, Wu Jianxian and a number of later calligraphy backbones.
"The continuous struggle of generations of calligraphers has led to the appearance of today's Haipai calligraphy." Ding Shenyang, who is currently the chairman of the Shanghai Book Association, revealed that the chairman of the second Shanghai Book Association is Mr. Song Richang, an old revolutionary, who paid attention to cultivating calligraphy talents and promoting the development of Haipai calligraphy during his tenure. We will carry out calligraphy exhibitions with Osaka, Yokohama, and other places in Japan, strengthen international calligraphy exchanges, and contribute to the internationalization of Haipai calligraphy.
The chairman of the 3rd Shanghai Book Association is Mr. Xie Zhiliu. During Xie Lao's tenure, with the joint efforts of Mr. Wang Weiping, then Secretary General of the Book Association, and many predecessors, the work model began to take shape, the work concept was perfected, and many talents emerged. In order to enhance the overall strength of the Shanghai Book Association, it has held a newcomer exhibition, a women's exhibition, and some national exhibitions. Through the exhibition, members are developed, calligraphy enthusiasts are gathered together, and they are encouraged to explore professional calligraphy. After the increase in membership, the book association began to form some subordinate sub-groups, such as the Youth Book Association, the Women's Book Association, and the Elderly Book Association. Elder Xie also focused on the education and training of calligraphy in terms of tapping young calligraphers with artistic potential and encouraging young calligraphers to progress. At that time, the "Xie Zhiliu Calligraphy Art Award" held at that time selected 10 award-winning calligraphers, and now they all hold important positions in the Book Association. In addition, we also attach great importance to calligraphy exchanges with Japan, South Korea and other countries, such as Osaka, Yokohama, Tokyo, Seoul, etc., and these international exchange activities have enhanced the international influence of Shanghai calligraphy.
From 1998 to 2010, Mr. Zhou Huijun served as the chairman of the 4th and 5th Shanghai Book Association. During this period, the Shanghai Book Association faced a situation of development and reform. At that time, the tone of work was to inherit the fine tradition of Haipai calligraphy, and the second was to strive to revitalize the glory of Haipai calligraphy. The presidium of the Shanghai Book Association headed by Zhou Huijun and the three generations of calligraphy workers in Shanghai, old, middle-aged and young, have made concerted efforts to devote great energy and enthusiasm to achieve this goal. Under the organization of Mr. Dai Xiaojing, then Secretary General of the Book Association, the Shanghai Book Association held and participated in various calligraphy exhibitions and calligraphy lectures, edited and published a large number of calligraphy works and theoretical books, established calligraphy teaching points at all levels, improved the work of calligraphy examination in Shanghai, paid attention to calligraphy exchanges with other provinces and cities, promoted interconnection with the national calligraphy community, and revitalized the grandeur of Haipai calligraphy. In particular, the "Shanghai School Calligraphy Jinjing Exhibition" in 2007 made Shanghai calligraphy appear in Beijing as a whole, effectively publicized the Hai school of calligraphy, and gave great spiritual encouragement to Shanghai calligraphers. The Shanghai Book Association also compiled a ten-volume "Collection of Works of Representative Calligraphers of Haipai", which comprehensively shows the glorious history of Haipai calligraphy. It can be said that the institutional construction, data collation and artistic development during this period laid a solid foundation for the revitalization of Calligraphy in Shanghai.
Mr. Zhou Zhigao, Chairman of the Sixth Shanghai Book Association, vigorously developed members and carried out a large number of mass calligraphy activities during his tenure. The association began to set up 16 professional working committees, fraternities and 17 district and county book associations, such as cursive, calligraphy, calligraphy, seal, seal engraving, engraving, and academic professional committees, youth, the elderly, education, editing and publishing, and international exchanges of large-character calligraphy, so as to institutionalize and specialize the construction of the book association. At the same time, the Shanghai Book Association continues to uphold the purpose of "promoting Haipai calligraphy and integrating with the national exhibition", constantly creating a good environment for the prosperity and development of calligraphy art, and promoting the inheritance and innovation of Haipai calligraphy. The Municipal Book Association undertook the 10th National Calligraphy seal engraving exhibition (cursive, calligraphy, lishu exhibition area), held the 2013 Shanghai Calligraphy Art Festival and other large-scale activities that attracted national attention; in 2015, the "Haipai Calligraphy into Beijing Exhibition" was held in Beijing, as the second collective appearance of Shanghai calligraphy in Beijing after the "Jinjing Exhibition" in 2007, providing an opportunity for the Chinese book world to fully experience the overall strength and creative achievements of Shanghai calligraphy, and more young and middle-aged newcomers emerged in the exhibition, which both inspired and inspired their creation. So that they continue to improve their creation and cultural accomplishment.
In recent years, the Shanghai Book Association has spared no effort in the discovery, cultivation and launch of talents, especially in the cultivation of young seedlings, spending great efforts to set up a platform for them and blowing up a "whirlwind of youth". "In the future, the Shanghai Book Association will continue to embrace its original intention and launch more new works by newcomers, so that calligraphy will always become a beautiful landscape of traditional culture on the sea." Ding Shenyang said.
Jin Xingming, vice chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Sun Xiaoyun, chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, Li Xin, secretary of the sub-party group of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, Gao Yunfei, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, Xia Yujing, secretary of the party group of the Shanghai Municipal Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Jin Lei, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, jointly opened the "RuYin - Documentary Exhibition on the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Shanghai Calligraphers Association". The exhibition is divided into eight sections: timeline, association construction, creative exhibition, academic research, education and training, cooperation and exchange, publication results, and interactive souvenirs, which vividly present the footsteps of the Shanghai Book Association in the past 60 years in a combination of graphics and physical documents.
Recently, the well-known calligrapher Zhou Huijun passed away peacefully at home. Before the official start of the symposium on the same day, all the guests observed a moment of silence for her.
Author: Li Ting
Edit: Jiang Fang
Editor-in-Charge: Shao Ling
*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.