Shu Tong was born in 1905 in a poor peasant family in Dongxiang County, Jiangxi Province. Under the influence of the May Fourth Movement, in 1920, he and progressive students established the "Cam Ranh Students' Club". In August 1921, he was admitted to Jiangxi Provincial Third Normal School. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Propaganda Department, and editor-in-chief of Jiefang Daily.
In 1954, the East China Bureau was abolished, when Chairman Mao combined with Shu Tong's own characteristics, provided him with two choices, one was the editor-in-chief of the People's Daily, and the other was the secretary of the party group of the Ministry of Culture, unexpectedly, these two Shu Tong did not have a choice, at that time it happened that Kang Sheng was promoted to the Central Committee, and the first secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee was vacant, just like that, Shu Tong came to the land of Qilu, but if Shu Tong knew the later story, he would definitely regret it.
In 1958, the central government launched the Great Leap Forward and the people's communalization movement, Shu Tong also actively responded to the call of the central government, engaged in "pompous style", but did not expect that a large number of people died, by 1960, Shu Tong was removed due to the "Five Winds Problem", and soon after, Shu Tong was transferred to Shaanxi as the secretary of the Secretariat of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee.
During the ten years of special period, Shu Tong was brutally persecuted and imprisoned, and it was not until 1979 that the central government rehabilitated him, and then served as vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences, and died in Beijing in 1998 at the age of 93.
Shu Tong advocates the family style of "integrity, honesty and serving the people", and lives frugally for the people.
Shu Tong is the inheritor and pioneer of Chinese calligraphy, the founder and first chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, and later served as the 2nd and 3rd honorary president, and the honorary president of the China Elderly Calligraphy and Painting Research Association. Chairman Mao Zedong praised him as "a calligrapher of the Red Army and a pen in the Party" and a contemporary master of calligraphy.
He loved calligraphy since childhood, learned books at the age of 5, and had a rural reputation at the age of 14, and was known as "prodigy" and "Dongxiang talent". He has systematically visited ancient inscriptions, and studied famous artists such as Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, He Shaoji, etc., but he respected the law and sought new changes, and paid attention to taking its essence, boldly trying, and gradually formed his own calligraphy style, creating the famous "Shu Ti", which is highly respected at home and abroad.
His calligraphy, broad and dignified, round and gentle, old and heavy with the pen, hiding the head and protecting the tail, and the dots are thick and smooth, with a unique style, is one of the outstanding representatives of modern calligraphy art. The so-called Shu body is to start from the "two kings", take Yan and Liu Zhikai as the foundation, take the strengths of each family, make the strength of the round, use the skill of the Tibetan front, allude to the clumsy, borrow from the past and the present, create a unique style, and establish a "seven-and-a-half" font. This "seven and a half points" can be said to be the essence of the Shu character character, which takes one point each for the five bodies of kai, line, grass, seal, and subordinate, one point each for Yan and Liu in style, and half a point for He Shaoji, collectively known as "seven and a half points".
Shu Tong calligraphy art appreciation
The "seven-and-a-half" font fully reflects the deep foundation and facial characteristics of the Shu font. It should be said that the formation of Shu Ti character is not only a painstaking exploration of book art, but more importantly, the tempering of will and perseverance. Nowadays, the body has been imported into computers and widely used in newspapers, publications, movies, and television, showing its unique charm.
Shu Tong's calligraphy works
After joining the Red Army, Shu Tong has been engaged in propaganda work in regiments and divisions, and in addition to the tense war, he has devoted himself to the art of writing and sending affection. When he accompanied the Red 1st Army on his march to northern Shaanxi, he wrote large slogans along the way, leaving his body covered in lime and burning many holes in his clothes. During the march, without paper and pen, Shu Tong picked up branches and scratched them on the ground; Riding on a horse, also use your fingers to scratch on the trouser leg. Once Mao Zedong saw it, he smiled and said, "Shu Tong, you have become a horseback calligrapher." Since then, the reputation of "horseback calligrapher" has spread.
In 1936, when the Red Army arrived in Xunyi County, which was under the jurisdiction of the northern Shaanxi border district government, in order to unite the war of resistance, the CCP planned to ask a former Qing Hanlin to serve as a senator of the border region. The old man said, "I can't talk to uneducated people," and refused to participate. When Mao Zedong found out, he asked Shu Tong to write him a letter in the name of the Central Committee to publicize our party's stand for the anti-Japanese united front. After reading the letter, the former Qing widow even declared: "The words are beautiful and elegant, I can't imagine that there are talents in the Communist Party!" "Then he went out of the mountains and entered politics.
In 1936, Yan'an founded the China Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, and the comrades in charge of the preparation asked Mao Zedong to write the school sign. At this time, Mao Zedong was busy writing "On Practice", and he couldn't spare time for a while, so he recommended to people: "Go and ask Shu Tong of the 1st Legion to write it, his writing is very good!" I appreciate it. ”
In this way, Shu Tong, then director of the Political Department of the 4th Division of the 1st Red Army, was ordered to write the school plaque of "China Anti-Japanese Military and Political University" and also wrote the eight-character school motto of "unity, tension, seriousness, and liveliness" on the left and right sides of the gate. Since then, Shu Tong's reputation has been well known throughout the party and the whole army.
He Xiangning said: "The state has two pens, the Kuomintang has the right and the Communist Party has Shu Tong. I prefer Shu Tong. ”
Shu Tong is a prolific calligrapher, and for decades, his ink has been left all over the country, especially with Yan Zhenqing's hometown of Fei County, which has many of his ink treasures handed down. In 1959, Shu Tong went to Fei County to inspect the water conservancy project, and was invited to go back and inscribe five large characters "Xujiaya Reservoir" (each character was originally 100 cm high and 80 cm wide). These five big characters are dignified and generous, vigorous and powerful. It reflects that he was in the era of the Great Leap Forward, inspected the people's situation, and saw the people's enthusiasm for building water conservancy and sighed with great emotion; Just arrived in Shandong Provincial Party Committee as the first secretary, and he has a useful place, and the spring breeze is proud; He is in his 50s and is full of strength, skillful in penmanship, hearty pen movement, and has a ghost-shattering and earth-shattering atmosphere. Shu Tong once said before his death: The five big characters of "Xujiaya Reservoir" are the largest characters he wrote in his life, and they are also the words he is most satisfied with, and they are well engraved. Although these five big characters did not fall into the money, people recognized them as Shu Tongti at a glance. The stone stele of "Xujiaya Reservoir" erected next to the dam spill gate is not only a famous calligraphy monument, but also a historical monument, and has become a historical relic symbol of the famous tourist attraction in Fei County - the pearl of Zhenguo "Tianjing Lake".
The reason why Shu Tong was praised as the people's calligrapher was because he, the red calligrapher on horseback, held a high position without official frame, was knowledgeable but not arrogant, and no matter who asked for words, he answered them one by one. Therefore, after the reform and opening up, the people of Feixian County visited Mobao many times, and Mr. Shu Tong inscribed "Banta Middle School", "Langya Xizhi Inkstone Factory" and "Feixian Film Theater", and these Mobao became rare treasures.