Text/ Zou Dianfei
Chen Baochen was born in the Fujian Wang clan, who first moved from Gushi, Henan to Fujian in the early Tang Dynasty, and settled in Luojiang during the Ming Hongwu period, known as "Luozhou Chen". According to statistics, there were 21 scholars in the Chen family in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and 110 people in the middle. Chen Baochen's great-grandfather Chen Ruolin was a Qianlong Jinshi, who served as the governor of Huguang and Sichuan, and was an official to the Shangshu of the Punishment Department, but because of his official Gangzheng, he angered the imperial family and returned to his hometown, and after his death, he did not receive the title given by the emperor. To this end, in 1921, Chen Baochen was responsible for compiling the "Records of Emperor Dezong", and the Sun Emperor Puyi wanted to add the title of official Taifu to him, and Chen Baochen requested to be revoked and changed to his great-grandfather Chen Ruolin posthumously awarded the title of "Wencheng", and Puyi felt his sage and posthumously awarded Chen Ruolin the title of "Wencheng", which was also Chen Baochen and added the title of Taifu.
Chen Baochen's grandfather Chen Jingliang was an envoy to Yunnan Province, and the official was also just and upright, and did not attach himself to the magnates, and eventually his official position was not obvious. Chen Baochen's father, Chen Chengqiu, was born when his grandfather (Chen Ruolin) was imprisoned as the governor of Huguang, and was given a black fox coat by the Daoguang Emperor, in order to thank the emperor, Chen Ruolin named his grandson "Chengqiu", the character "Chu'en". Chen Chengqiu was a Xianfeng jinshi, also Geng Zhi and diligent, and returned to his hometown of Luozhou after resigning from the government to set up a public welfare undertaking to benefit his hometown, and after his death, he was honored as "Guanglu Doctor".
Chen Baochen was talented, diligent and studious, young in the first, thirteen years old in the middle of xiucai, eighteen years old in the middle of the people, twenty-one years old, that is, the twenty-fifth jinshi of the second class of the seventh year of the Middle Tongzhi, and was awarded the Hanlin Academy Shu Jishi, and later the Hanlin Academy. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), he was appointed as the examiner of the Jiangxi Township Examination as a waiter. Chen Sanli took the intermediate examination and became a proud disciple of Chen Baochen. During his stay as an official, Chen Baochen was known for his outspokenness. In the ninth year (1883), Chen Baochen was promoted to cabinet scholar and ceremonial attendant, and was known as the "Four Great Kongs" together with Zhang Peilun, Bao Ting, and Deng Chengxiu, and was also known as the "Qingliu Party" with Zhang Zhidong and Zhang Peilun. In the Sino-French War, due to disagreements with the political views of the imperial court, he was demoted to an official, returned to his hometown to build a "Cangqu Building", and also built a second fast in Gushan. After the political scene was frustrated, Chen Baochen was lonely, and his father Chen Chengqiu comforted him: "What I am worried about is that you will be promoted too quickly." ”
The eleventh word of the book
Chen Chengqiu's six sons are all proud of the field house (Chen Chengqiu has seven sons, one son died early, the remaining six sons, three are jinshi, three are lifters), one is the best in the imperial examination. Later, chen Qitai, the inspector of Jiangsu, made a special recommendation, among which Yun: "There is Chen Baochen, a scholar of the cabinet who was demoted to the cabinet, who used to speak directly from the past, invited to know the encounter early, came to the current affairs day and day, especially the expectations of the people, the fujian province's academic road administration, rely on its presidency, although overseas Chinese, can not lose the sincere obedience, this year is sixty, the energy is as strong as ever, can overcome the arduous task." Later, Chen Baochen was summoned to Beijing, and in 1911 he was appointed inspector of Shanxi. Less than a month after becoming the governor of Shanxi, he was transferred to Yuqing Palace to teach reading and teach Puyi to read.
After the Republic of China, Chen Baochen followed Puyi and became one of his most trusted assistants. Emperor Sun once thought that "he was the most loyal to me and the most loyal to the 'Great Qing'" In his later years, Chen Baochen's thought became more conservative and belonged to the figures of the old era. In 1932, after failing to dissuade Puyi from becoming a puppet of the Japanese invaders, Chen Baochen returned to Beijing to live until his death.
Chen Baochen was a famous poet in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, and a representative of the Fujian poets in the Tongguang School. Wang Guoyuan compared it to The Heavenly Opportunity Star Wisdom Duoxing Wu Yong in the "Records of the Points of The Poetry of Guangxuan", commenting on his poetry cloud: "Late to change for a long time, deep and simple, not strange and dangerous and not vulgar, not to create and never shallow words, as for the feelings of the times, than the material to reach the feelings, the divine reason is superimposed, the fun is eternal, Yu tastes the right quality in peace, and the Han 'an (Chen Baochen) as the approver is again, thinking that Boyan (Chen Sanli) and Jie'an (Liang Dingfen) have not yet done so." Qian Zhonglian believed that Chen Baochen's poetic achievements of "Taiyi (Zheng Xiaoxu) and Shi Yi (Chen Yan) could not ride on them" and could be compared with Zheng Xiaoxu and Chen Yan, famous poets in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. Chen Baochen's poems are included in the "Collected Poems of Cangqu Lou", which is also accompanied by Chen's "Listening to water words" and "Cangqu Lou Wencun". Chen Baochen was rigorous in structure, elegant and philosophical, and Fu Zengxiang commented on his text: "Although there are scales and claws, there are similarities about palms, and the preface and epitaph in the manuscript are written without curved pens, and there is no overflowing words in people, and its fine review is beyond the reach of the historical manuscript." From this, we can see Chen Baochen's position in the literary circles of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty.
Chen Baochen rich collection, fine appreciation. His grandfather Chen Jingliang and father Chen Chengqiu are good collectors, and after three generations of accumulation, the collection of the Chen family has shocked the world. Chen Baochen has been influenced by his family since childhood, and he is also good at hiding antiquities. Emperor Puyi also asked him to sort out the old collections of the Qing Palace. During the Republic of China period, Chen Baochen once participated in the "Ice Society" of the Beijing Calligraphy and Painting Society, and compiled its collection into "ChengqiuGuan Jijintu", "ChengqiuGuan Printing", "Chengqiu Museum Collection of Ancient Sealed Clay", photocopied and published, shared with friends, and was highly expected in the Beijing collection circle.
Epitaph of Yan Cemetery
Chen Baochen's identity is special, from the former Qing Dynasty's "Hanyuan Zhongren", "Qingliu Party" and "Imperial Master" to the qing Emperor's abdication of the old man, Chen Baochen's influence and status in the political, literary, and collecting circles have always been not low, so his calligraphy is widely known in the Beijing-Tianjin region at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, from the high-ranking officials and eunuchs to the peddlers and pawns, all of them know the name of "Master Chen", plus he is living in a big age, which has added a bit of mystery to his calligraphy.
Xu Lingxiao, a famous newspaperman in the Republic of China, once wrote "Chen Baochen of Shoushan Fuhai - The Law of Raising Shou Shou": "Bao Chen's life expectancy is high, and his blessings are also very popular. There is a code of respect for the elderly in the nearly flat city, and there are five elders in the five machines to cut the rope. The first old man Xu Fuhai is eighty-five, the fifth old Jiang Hanzi Shuhai is also a Min person... And the years are rare, and it is still far away to go to Baochen. That is, Xu Fuhai is two years younger. The method of raising life described by the elders is not to temper the desire for labor, and It is not the choice of The Old Man, nor is there any one who has the art of taking life. The first view is a poem, the pen is clear, the chest is as broad as the chest, the heavenly king is self-sufficient, the outside is not tempted by the demons, and the inside is to cultivate its square inches, and the real thing is not controlled by the thing. I once saw his book door to say: "Dajun has no selfless strength; the spirit house has spare time." ' Friends but appreciate its syntactic calligraphy. Not only this, but also the 'Immortal Fang' of the other... Scholars have a long life, full of book flavor, spiritual cultivation and no dirt tiredness... The literati's practice of calligraphy is also beneficial to nourishing the heart, and Chen Baochen's book is light and graceful, with the posture of cold green sleeves, which is not easy. Former Zhao Shijun was named after Xue chu, and Bao Chen lian said: "King Gu has hired Liang Jie, and Wen Dong Gongshu has not been able to write a big year." It can be known that the Chen clan uses lao shu as a hairpin flower grid, and also Shouye. From this, we can see Chen Baochen's longevity and devotion.
During the Republic of China period, Chen Baochen's calligraphy was widely respected, known as "Bo Submersible Body". Solemn commentary: "His books are derived from Ouyang Inquiry and Liu Gongquan, and they are more like the Yellow Valley, Xiu Jin is tall, and You Shan small characters, Zheng Haizang (Zheng Xiaoxu) once had the saying that 'Xiao Kai Fu Weng is more realistic'. Wang Senran praised: "Directly chasing after the Han and Tang Dynasties, the people of the sea, proud to have a piece of paper and only a word." Johnston, an Englishman who had followed Puyi for many years, said that Chen Baochen was a "person with elegant and charming demeanor and exuberance, he was a famous poet, his calligraphy was exquisite and admirable, and he was also an accomplished scholar." It can be seen that Chen Baochen's calligraphy is charming.
On the whole, Chen Baochen's family has a deep academic origin, generations of books, and the family attaches great importance to the education of calligraphy, so the Chen family has undergone rigorous training since he was a teenager. As far as is known, he should initially take Ouyang Qing and Liu Gongquan as the sect, and the study of books is influenced by the pavilion style, in view of the fact that he is quite smooth in the Keju Shijin, it can be seen that his calligraphy in his early years has a certain level, and the writing can reflect the characteristics of the pavilion body "black", "black" and "light". It is true that the loss of the calligraphy of the pavilion is to infinitely enlarge the details of some words, and the writer considers that calligraphy is closely related to his own destiny, so he does not dare to slack off at all, and he is preoccupied with the slightest gain or loss, and finally this kind of calligraphy shows a trembling, trembling, like a great enemy. If you write all year round, the character of the writer is also bound by it. Moreover, the Calligraphy of the Pavilion Style is quite rigid in the Middle European and Liu Ershines, and many bookishers have been advertised here for life, which eventually led to their calligraphy becoming dull and rigid, and became the object of criticism of the stele scholars in the Republic of China period.
Seven words in the book
Although Chen Baochen's calligraphy is difficult to get rid of the influence of the pavilion, he comes from a family of poetry and books, and his vision is higher than that of ordinary Guiyuan people. He is a square person, a restrained personality, but not pedantic, in his early years in the "Qingliu Party", can be called a dare-to-speak man, after many years in politics, the contacts are a full of Mongolian nobles, shuoxue Hongru, celebrities Toshihiko, his calligraphy is not as rigid as the pavilion body, but in Ou Liu to take both the "two kings", participate in the valley penmanship, get into the Song People Tang Ao, and then further integrate the Northern Stele penmanship, in his later years his books are more strengthened the characteristics of Ou and Liu, combined with the pen of Xiao Ou (Ouyang Tong), forming a kind of upper and lower secrets, strict law, A dangerous book style in plain reality. In addition, he also occasionally works as a walking grass, with strong pen strength and elegant form, resembling the Song Dynasty Huang Tingjian. Chen Baochen's calligraphy is quite attractive, and in his later years, he can still be "fine and meticulous under the lamp". The author has also seen the pine tree painted by the widowed old Liang Dingfen, the trunk of which is purely painted with a center forward, and the maple is bent, and the purity of the pine is seen, which also reflects the "Zhen Pine" section of his final clearance.
Chen Baochen's calligraphy is regarded as such by today's people, and it seems to be somewhat outdated and limited to the shortcomings of the law. But just like the calligraphy of the pavilion, nature has its own reason for existence. Chen Baochen has been trained in the pavilion style, and the calligraphy shows its own unique family learning and literacy in the set rules, and breaks out of the desperate Ou Liu two-body, which can be called superior and has an irreplaceable position in a special historical period.
Selected calligraphy works of Chen Baochen:
Chen Baochen is a plaque for Ozaki Yukio
Chen Baochen's book of seven words
Chen Baochen's book of seven words
Chen Baochen wrote six poems
Chen Baochen wrote his own proverbs
Chen Baochen wrote Bai Juyi poems
(The author of this article is a member of the Beijing Calligraphers Association and vice president of the Beijing Calligraphy Research Association)
(Excerpt from Artwork 2020-7 Issue 103)