Calligraphy by Emperor Qianlong

Calligraphy of Contemporary Leaders

Most of China's contemporary leaders were good at calligraphy as well. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a revolutionary pioneer, was not known for his calligraphy, but it is easy to see that he had practiced calligraphy by copying stele inscriptions for a long time. Before the Qing Dynasty copybooks for calligraphy were popular among learned people who pursued elegance in style. After the Qing Dynasty, people tended to copy the style of stele inscriptions made by calligraphers from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), which were bold and masculine in construction.

Calligraphy by Sun Yat-sen

Sun's works incorporated the characteristics of both copybook and stele inscriptions. Some were bold and ambitious, others elegant and gentle, showing his openness of mind. As a whole, his calligraphy was tight in construction, in the style of a master. His spirit took his work to a higher realm, which is regarded as the calligraphic ideal.

Mao Zedong's appearance on the list of "top 10 calligraphers of the 20th century," according to a poll held in the calligraphy field at the beginning of this century, came as no surprise. His works were appraised as a "compromise between his predecessors' merits, a fusion of masters' styles; handsome like a flying dragon; elegant while bold, pretty while vigorous."

Calligraphy by Mao Zedong

Mao learned to use a writing brush when he went to a private school at the age of eight. He never stopped using this writing tool and was finally regarded as one of its greatest masters. Early on, he studied stele inscriptions like his contemporaries, and later practiced hard on copybooks, providing a sound basis for the forming of his own style. According to his guards, Mao always spared time to read stele rubbings or to see stele inscriptions himself, even in wartime. His highest achievement was his cursive hand, which was imposing and magnificent, with up and down rhythms – a unique style formed in his middle age. His handwriting was full of energy, but true to regulations, expressing a strong visual beauty. Reading his cursive style handwriting, people immerse themselves in the flow of strokes, slow or fast, dense or not dense. Readers are attracted by the aura his works create, as well as by his presence as the top leader.