Li Yong (678~747), whose name is Beihai, was a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. When he was a teenager, he became famous, and was later called to be the left picker, and successively served as a member of the household department, Kuozhou Thorn History, Beihai Taishou and other positions, and was honored as "Li Beihai". Among his surviving books, especially "Ye Youdao Tablet" was praised by later generations of scholars.
Li Yong had a profound influence on later generations in the field of calligraphy. He inherited the tradition of the "two kings" (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi), but he was able to integrate his own personality into it. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the inscription stone is often written in the main book, and after the Tang Dynasty, Li Yong began to use the line of writing the inscription, its calligraphy style is unique, the glyph is high on the left and low on the right, the gesture is stretched and powerful, giving people a sense of danger and heartiness.
Li Yong advocates innovation and is committed to inheriting and carrying forward ancient calligraphy. He once said: "Those who are like me want to be vulgar, and those who learn from me die." Su Dongpo, Mi Yuanzhang and others have absorbed some characteristics from his calligraphy, and Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty actively followed his brushwork and learned the calligraphy realm of "grace and elegance".