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Feng Qiyong: Master of A Dream of Red Mansions Studies
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Feng's calligraphic work | In 1984, Feng went to Leningrad (St.
Petersburg of today's Russia) of the former Soviet Union to authenticate the
hand-written manuscript of The Legend of Stone that is believed to have been
done during reigns of Emperors Qianlong
(1735-1795) and Jiaqing (1795-1820) during the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911), a move that led to the signing of an agreement on China
and the Soviet Union's co-publication of the book.
In 1988, he headed a delegation to Singapore for the A Dream of red
Mansions Culture and Arts Exhibition" and gave lectures at the National
University of Singapore. In 1991, he attended the International Sinology
Conference held in Singapore and acted as vice chairman.
"Knowledge Makes a Man Elegant and
Venerable"
Feng
Qiyong is not only cultivated in literature, arts and academic fields, but also
highly accomplished in Chinese
calligraphy and painting. In fact, besides his research of A Dream of
Red Mansions, Feng has also been researching classic Chinese literature,
Chinese opera, painting, and calligraphy
for a long time. Actually, he once served as vice president of the Chinese Art
Research Institute.
According to Feng, good calligraphic books are for scholars and poets, as
well as the calligraphers. Good calligraphic works are done with much learning
and cultural cultivation. The taste of an artwork depends on the artist's
perception, and the latter is decided by the artist's cultural accomplishment.
Well-informed of the rule, for several decades, Feng worked hard almost
unceasingly at calligraphy and painting from since he was a little boy. However,
he seldom showed his calligraphic works to others.
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