Culture and Friendship in the Inscriptions and Postscripts of Scholars in the Middle and Late Yuan Dynasty

From the Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, the trend of using poetry into painting has continued. To the middle and late Yuan Dynasty, literati painters represented by the "Four Schools of Yuan" Ni Zan (1301-1374), Wu Zhen, Huang Gongwang (1269-1354), and Wang Meng (1308-1385) all grew up in this way, such as Shen in the Ming Dynasty. Hao (1586 - unknown) mentioned Ni Zan's many inscriptions on painting poems in the "Inscription" of "Painting Stags": "Yi Zan's calligraphy method is elegant, or the end of the poem is a postscript, or the postscript is a poem, and it is made at will. .” Due to space limitations, here are just a few examples to illustrate.
1. Inscription and postscript culture in Wu Zhen's paintings
In Wu Zhen's "Fisherman Scroll" (Figure 1) in the Shanghai Museum, the use of poetry into painting can be said to have reached its peak. Wu Zhen has an inscription at the beginning of the painting: "The picture of the fisherman, written by Liu Zongyuan, a scholar. The Zhuangshu has the chapter on the fisherman, the movement has the fisherman's introduction, and the Taikang Xunyang has the fisherman, but he does not say his name. Qu, the state-owned Zhang Zhihe, who calls himself a fisherman of Yanbo, wrote the book Xuan Zhenzi, and also wrote the poems of the fisherman with thirty-two chapters. , recorded in Yuefu. Nearby there is Baiyunzi, who also hides her surname, Juelu is unintentional, smoke and waves drive away, try to board a grasshopper boat, ride a boat, take a pot of wine, catch a rod of wind, communicate with flocks of gulls, smoke and clouds go up and down every time Suyue is full of hands, mountain light is in her bosom, toasting a cup of joy, drumming is a rhyme, and it is also twenty-one chapters, following the smoke and waves to catch the disciples."
"Fisherman's Ci" can be said to be the earliest example of inscription inscribed in the history of painting. In addition to Zhang Zhihe (732-774) in the Tang Dynasty wrote "Poetry of the Fisherman", Liu Daochun's "Supplement to Famous Paintings of the Five Dynasties" records that Li Yu (937-978), the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty, once collected the "Poems of the Fisherman" in Zhang Shixun's house. Two pieces of "Fisherman's Poems" are inscribed with "Golden Suoshu" on the "Picture of Fishing Old Man in the Spring River". It can be seen that the tradition of poetry and painting has a long history. As pointed out by Ms. Yi Ruofen, the relationship between the fisherman and "Zhuangzi" and "Chu Ci" is the source of its culture, and she proposed 16 long and short sentences in Wuzhen's "Fisherman Picture", 14 of which are from the Northern Song Dynasty In the early years, he named Wen Tingjun (812-870) 15 pieces of "Fisherman" in the "Jinxuan Ji" compiled, and the other 2 pieces were added later. Yi Ruofen has sorted out all the inscriptions in the "Fisherman Picture" on the blog and the Freer Art Museum, and compared the similarities and differences between the inscription in the painting and the 15 inscriptions of the fisherman recorded in the "Golden Pill Collection". On the basis of her research, the author takes the above blog as an example to illustrate the detailed situation of the changes in the words of the fisherman from "The Collection of Jinxuan" to "The Picture of the Fisherman".
Wu Zhen's "Fisherman's Picture" in Shanghai Bo's collection may be influenced by Zen literature to a certain extent. In paragraphs 1-5, the fishermen are taking the boat, listening to the rain, watching the clouds, adjusting the boat, and taking the boat. After the sixth song "No Boat", in paragraphs 7-9, the fisherman is fishing, sitting on the boat with his back, and facing the boat. These three pictures seem to be waiting and trying to fish. Although paragraph 10 appears The picture of fishing is seen, but judging from the inscription "worrying and measuring, it is about floating and sinking" , fishing does not seem to be in a good state. Immediately after, the picture is divided by trees and rocks, suggesting another stage. In paragraphs 10-12, three consecutive pictures are of the fisherman holding silk, and the last picture is the same as paragraph 6, which is a verse added later, reflecting the success of the fisherman in the fishing stage. In paragraphs 13-16, the fisherman has entered the same stage as in paragraphs 1-5, symbolizing consciousness and freedom. The water village pavilion at the end of the picture scrolls the end of the 16 pictures. It can be seen that the images of the whole painting have layers of in-depth entry, not messy and random. In addition, the details of the image are closely related to the inscription. For example, in the second song "Listening to the sound of rain in the night" , the fishing boat draws a tent; in the third song "Looking at the white bird" , the fisherman raises his head and looks at the sky. The 8th song "Hang Shenpu" , the fisherman sits on the back of the boat; the 10th song "Catch the river scales and pull the water to open" , the fisherman is in a fishing posture; the 15th song "The grasshopper boatman has no name" in the boat Tibetan people not see. The relationship between the picture image and the inscription should be related.

Figure 1 Yuan Dynasty, Wu Zhen's "Fisherman's Scroll" (part), on paper, 33cm in length, 651.6cm in width, in the collection of Shanghai Museum

Another piece that contains folk culture is Wu Zhen's "Double Pines" (Fig. 2) inscribed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Wu Zhen inscribed: "Tai Ding five years (1328) Spring and February Qingming Festival, painted by Lei's master, Wu Zhen." "Double Pines" is considered to be the earliest one of Wu Zhen's handed down paintings. At this time Wu Zhen Town 49 years old. The reason why it was made on Qingming Festival is because Wu Zhen made this painting in memory of his old friend who passed away. There are two theories as to who the "Master Lei Suo Zun" is. According to Mr. Chen Qingguang's research, Lei Siqi (1230-1301) was a Taoist priest, a native of Linchuan, who once lived in Wushiguan, Jiangxi Province, and was proficient in the Book of Changes and Lao Tzu; Mr. Yu Hui believed that it should be Zhang Shanyuan, known as Zhang Lei Suo , The history records that in the first year of his reign (1264-1294), he once built the Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou. Both of them are Taoist priests, and the author thinks that Zhang Shanyuan is more likely from the perspective of the area of activity.
In addition, Chen Qingguang pointed out that the double tree in the painting is actually a cypress tree, and it was recorded as "Pingyuan Map of Double Cypresses" in "Moyuan Huiguan", but it was designated as "Double Juniper Pingyuan" in "Shiqu Baoji First Compilation" Pine Diagram. This is because in the third year of Taiding (1326), the cypress tree in the Xuanmiao Temple of Siming in Zhejiang was once a phoenix crown, and it was regarded as auspicious at that time. Yuan Jue at that time recorded this event in "Praise of Rui Jun", referring to the drawing and Praise thing. Wu Zhen's "Double Pines" was painted two years after the appearance of the auspicious auspiciousness of the Siming Xuanmiao Temple.
In almost the same period, that is, the second year of the Tianli calendar (1329), Cao Zhibai (1272-1355) created "Double Pines" (Fig. 3). On the left side of the painting center is a pair of pines standing, with a flat slope extending below it, several streams, and a pine forest in the distance, with a deep mist. On the upper right edge of the picture, there is an inscription by Cao Zhibai: "In the second year of the Tianli calendar (1329), Yunxi made this pine tree barrier and sent it to Shimo Boshan to express lovesickness." Shimo Boshan is Shi Mojizu (1281). —1347), written by Huang Jin (1277-1357) in the Yuan Dynasty, in the "Shi Mogong (Mingli Timur) Shinto Stele [Inscription]" written by Huang Jin (1277-1357) in the Yuan Dynasty, his original name is Mingli Timur, the word is Boshan, the ancestor For the Liao official, surnamed Shulu. In the seventh year of Dade (1303), Shi Mo entered the palace after his ancestor, and served as the cowardly Xue of Yuan Chengzong (1265-1307), that is, the personal guardian. In the eleventh year of Dade (1307), Shi Mojizu inherited his father's post of deputy ten thousand households in the coastal tens of thousands of households, and led the navy to guard Taizhou (now Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province). In the first year of Huangqing (1312), He moved the towns of Wuzhou (now Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province) and Chuzhou (now Lishui City, Zhejiang Province). In addition to controlling the army, Shi Mojizu also liked to associate with Confucian scholars and literati. This may be because Jizu lived in Zhejiang since he was a child, and was taught by Shi Mengqing (1247-1306), a scholar from the Southern Song Dynasty. "From classics, biography, zi, and history, down to names and methods, vertical and horizontal, astronomy, geography, techniques, formulas, and pagan foreign books, everything is incomprehensible." Like many Han literati in the Yuan Dynasty, Shi Mo followed the ancestors. Unwilling to pursue an official career, he asked to become an official when he was 40 years old. After that, he indulged in the mountains and rivers of Taizhou, and built the "Tugging Pavilion" as a place for banquets.
Cao Zhibai's book of the year "the second year of the calendar" has a profound meaning. Because the theory of people and the sun in the first lunar month originally came from folk culture, the Southern Dynasties Liang Zongyi (502-565) "Jing Chu Sui Ji Ji" records:
On the seventh day of the first lunar month, people's day, seven kinds of vegetables are used as soup, Jiancai is used for people, or gold foil is carved for people. And made Huasheng to send each other. Ascend poetry.
Dong Xun said: "The person who wins will either cut the ribbon, or make it with gold foil, stick it on the screen, or wear it. It is like a person entering the New Year, and it is described as changing from the new."
It can be seen that "Human Day" has the tradition of cutting, carving and painting portraits, as well as climbing heights. In addition, the article "Human Day" in Volume 1 of "The Chronicle of Things" says: "Dongfang Shuo's "Zhijing" dates: the first day of the first lunar month is for chickens, the second is for dogs, the third is for sheep, the fourth is for pigs, and the fifth is for cattle. Horses are occupied on the 6th day, people on the 7th day, and the valleys on the 8th month. The day is clear and bright, and it is the prince of peace and tranquility; the gloomy and cold weather is a sign of disease decay." For promises or blessings, there are many poems about gifting and loving friends in Tang poetry. For example, Song Zhiwen (656-712) has "People in the Army Climb Heights and Donate to Fang Mingfu", Meng Haoran (689-740) "Ren Ding Nanyang Post Gate Pavilion, Hua Han Chuan Friends", Liu Changqing (726-786) "Reward Guo Xia, Changsha, Changsha," and so on. It can be considered that the double pine symbolizes the "self-portrait" of Cao Zhibai and Shimo Boshan sympathizing with each other.

Figure 2 Yuan Dynasty, Wu Zhen, "Double Pines", scroll, ink on silk, 180x111.4cm, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Figure 3 Yuan Dynasty, Cao Zhibai, "Double Pines", scroll, ink on silk, 132.1 x 57.4 cm, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Xu Chunguang divided Wu Zhen's inscriptions into four types in "Calligraphy and Painting: Wuzhen's Concept of Calligraphy and Inscription and Calligraphy", "intensive segmentation", "embellished space", "echoing the picture", "alternating painting and calligraphy", and The Fisherman's Picture belongs to the fourth category. Although the title of "Double Pines" has no formal features, it expresses the metaphor of the image, which can be called "the mutual display of calligraphy and painting". From this, we can also see the diversity and richness of the inscriptions of scholars in the Yuan Dynasty, taking Wu Zhen as a typical example.
2. Inscriptions and Postscripts of Friendship in "Yushan Elegant Collection"
It is generally believed that in the late Yuan Dynasty, the "Yushan Yaji" hosted by Kunshan's rich man Gu Ying (1310-1369) was the most influential and typical activity of many Yaji. There are many scholars who have conducted research on this topic. Here, we mainly refer to Wang Jin's doctoral dissertation "Research on the Painting and Calligraphy Activities of Literati Collection in the Late Yuan Dynasty" and Zeng Ying's doctoral dissertation "Yushan Elegant Collection and Research on Poetry Style in the Late Yuan Dynasty". .
According to the research of scholar Zheng Jiasheng in his article "Scholars and Society in Jiangnan in the Late Yuan Dynasty", Kublai Khan (1215-1294) adopted certain preferential policies for Jiangnan scholars in the early Yuan Dynasty, including levying lighter taxes, condoning the annexation of land, Use Jiangnan landlords to participate in politics, etc. As a result, the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River obtained a relatively relaxed living environment, and the economy in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area was developed. Many scholars could live a prosperous and leisurely life without being an official, and they had an economic foundation for building a cultural life. Another example is Qian Qianyi's "Lie Chao Poetry Collection Biography" in the first chapter "Zhang Jian": "When the country is victorious, the legal network is wide, and people don't need to be officials. There is a poetry club every year in Zhejiang (the same Zhejiang), and one or two famous people are hired. For example, husband Yang Lian is the master of the generation, and the feast is the most generous." The gifts even included "one cake of gold", "three catties of platinum, one yi" , etc., which are indeed very generous.
"Yushan Elegant Gathering" can be said to be the product of the development of such gatherings to their peak. Wang Jin pointed out several characteristics of "Yushan Elegant Collection" in his paper. The first is the large scale. There are more than 100 literati who have been accurately recorded to the good place in Yushan, and there are nearly 400 people who actually associate with Gu Ying; the second is that almost all important literati painters are frequently involved, such as Ni Zan, Chen Ruyan, Cao Zhibai, Ma Wan, Zhang Wo, Wang Meng, Huang Gongwang, Zhang Yu, Zhao Yuan, Yang Weizhen, Tai Buhua, Sadula, Yu Ji, Wang Feng, Zhou Boqi, etc. The third is the broad span. For example, the participants were composed of literati of different ages, cultures, classes, nationalities and beliefs, and it lasted for nearly twenty years. Therefore, "Yushan Elegant Collection" can be described as a major event in the Jiangnan painting and literary circles.
In the early days, the scholars who gathered with Gu Ying Ya included Tai Buhua, Sadulla, Zhao Yi and so on. In the fifth year of Zhiyuan (1339), Ke Jiusi visited Gu Ying, which can be said to be the beginning of the gathering; in the sixth year of Zhizheng (1346), Sadula (about 1300-1350) came to Yushan and had a banquet with Gu Ying. There is a self-titled "Poem Pond" in the existing painting "Yanling Fishing Boat" by Sadulla. Judging from the situation of receiving the paper, the inscription and postscript are different from the paper of the picture, so this is also an earlier version specially designed for the inscription and postscript. Poetry Pond". The content is:
Mountains and rivers provoke my heart, and they drive thousands of miles. Steps and steps are divided, and the sound of waterfalls and streams is bang bang. There is no trace on the fishing rod platform, and there is a hidden name in the hill and gully pavilion. It is not easy to be rich and noble, but Ding Yi is as light as a feather. I traveled from the capital to the south, and traveled for thousands of miles. Wen Yantai, Diaoji Mountain, is surrounded by beautiful arches, clear water and clear abyss, Yu Qiang Leng Qijing climbed together, and after returning home, Qijing Qiang Yu drew and did it. To Yuanjimao (1339) in August, Yanshan Tianxi Sadu wrote and inscribed in the martial arts.
The content of the inscription clearly shows that "Yanling Fishing Boat Picture" (Fig. 4) was painted by Sadulla in 1339, after he traveled with Leng Qian, a Taoist priest of the Yuan Dynasty, to Yanling, the fishing place of the Han Dynasty hermit Yan Guang in the south of Tonglu County, Zhejiang Province. The right side of the picture is solid and the left side is empty, which is a variant of "one river and two banks". Two scholars on a small boat are cruising in the river, implying a trip with Leng Qian. Sadula was a writer in the Yuan Dynasty, and his ancestors were from the Western Regions. He was born in Yanmen (northwest of Daixian County, Shanxi). Although he was a top-ranked scholar in the fourth year of Taiding (1327), he was only a low-level official throughout his life. The inscription of "Yanling Fishing Boat" shows the commemorative value of its friendship, but because it has a certain stylized literati style, the inscription is a further description of the content of the painting, that is, the so-called "extension of painting meaning" proposed by Mr. He Chuanxin. In addition, it can also be seen that Sadula's cursive script has a simple and vigorous style, and the title of the book is concealed by the title, which shows the sinicization and integration of multi-ethnic groups.

Figure 4 Yuan Dynasty, Sadulla, 1327, "Yanling Fishing Boat", scroll, ink on paper, 58.7x31.9cm, Shitang 26.7x31.8cm, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

In the eighth year of Zhizheng (1348), the construction of Gu Ying's Yushan Jiayu was basically completed. A grand gathering was held on February 19 of this year to welcome the arrival of Yang Weizhen (1296-1370). In the elegant collection, everyone wrote poems in rhyme with "Love Ru Yushan Thatched Cottage Quiet", and Zhang Wo (unknown - before 1356) wrote "Yushan Elegant Collection Picture". Yang Weizhen unfolded it according to the picture in "Yang Ji Zhi", and made a description of the activities of the people, which seems to imitate Li Gonglin's "Xi Yuan Ya Ji Tu" and Mi Fu's "West Garden" in the "Xi Yuan Ya Ji". The meaning of Yaji Tuji. Although the painting does not exist, it can be seen from Yang Weizhen's "Yuyushan Yaji Picture One Volume" that "Yaji Zhi" is the first inscription attached to the painting. Wang Jin believes that Zhang Wo, as a famous painter in line drawing, is also echoing the image of Li Gonglin in the history of painting. In addition, Wang Meng and Chen Zhen also painted "Yushan Thatched Cottage", but they are all lost now.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Yuan (unknown - 1372) painted Yushan Yaji's late painting "Hexi Thatched Cottage" (Fig. 5). At this time, due to the outbreak of the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Yushan Yaji declined, and after the thatched cottage was burned down, Gu Ying moved to Jiaxing Hexi Bieye, and "Hexi Thatched Cottage" was written for this purpose. Gu Ying himself wrote an inscription on the painting: "The thatched cottage is built together with the creek, and the bamboo trees are ten mu shades of shade. The terrain is wild from the north, and the sound of the water goes to the south is the sound of the tide. Wine and singing. You can still have a boat to go back and forth, and you can find the scenery according to the picture. The Yu Aihe stream is wild and wide, and it is impossible to reach it without a boat. It is a secluded place, so I live in a different business, and I am good at making this picture. The title is knowledge. A continent in the lake is the 'Chengxing Sea', where Chaoyin Temple lives. To Zhengguimao, the winter solstice, Gu Aying, a Taoist of Jinsu, tried Wen Zijing's brush, and wrote it in Yushan Thatched Cottage." In addition, on the right side of the picture there are Zhao Yuan's seal script inscription reads: "Zhao Yuan in Jucheng is the owner of Yushan Zuohe River Cottage". Zhao Yuan himself often participated in the elegant gatherings of Yushan Thatched Cottage, and he often advocated and painted for literati. In the corner of the waterscape in the painting, the scholars inside the house sit quietly, and the two scholars outside the house chat happily. Judging from Gu Ying's inscription, he still quite enjoys the tranquil and secluded state of mind here.

Figure 5 Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Yuan, "Hexi Thatched Cottage", ink and pen light color on paper, 84.3×40.8cm Collection of Shanghai Museum.

3. Inscriptions on calligraphy and painting by scholars in Songjiang at the end of the Yuan Dynasty
A similar phenomenon of group inscriptions on poetry and prose developed to the end of the Yuan Dynasty and reached its peak. Due to the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, a group of cultural elites such as Yang Weizhen, Ma Wan, and Zhang Zhong avoided the chaos and gathered in the Songjiang area.
In the Yuan Dynasty, people sometimes wrote inscriptions in official script to show respect. For example, in Ke Jiusi's "Wanxiang Gaojie Tu", the inscription in the official script of Yuji: "Jingzhong's painting is clear and out of the dust, and it is really a daily cooperation. Kuizhang Pavilion Shishu Bachelor Yuji inscription." Another example is hidden in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Fang Congyi's "Shan Yin Yun Xue Tu" in the museum also used the official script to inscribe the four characters "Mountain Yin Yun Xue", and used the official script to write the meaning: "Jinmen Yuke Fangfang Fang is imitating the noble book, and it was made in Que Li, Cangzhou for the scholar of Qin Mei. ." There is such a phenomenon in the inscription and postscript, and the inscription recognition is no exception. The author read Cheng Bo's paper "From the Transformation of Yuanren's Painting Marks to the Revival of the Seal Official Script in the Yuan Dynasty", and also mentioned that the seal official script style at the end of the Yuan Dynasty had been widely used.
Mr. Fu Shen once pointed out that in the late Yuan Dynasty, the number of people who wrote official script gradually increased. The author believes that such historical facts of calligraphy are more clearly reflected in the inscriptions and postscripts in the Songjiang area at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Now in Ma Wan's "A Fishing Boat in the Autumn Forest" in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (Fig. 6), there is a person Tao Zongyi (word Jiucheng, 1329-about 1412) inscribed above the heart of the painting: "Rou Zhaohuan Beach in August, Yu Shiyuan" When Mr. Sun passed by Yang Weng, he kept drinking for the rest of the day, burned incense and sipped tea, and talked about Qing affairs. After drinking, Weng came out of Fufeng Ma Wenbi's painting of a tree and stone, with Zang Xiangqing's retting bird on it, and asked Mr. Sun to write a poem. The next day Completed, I ordered to make a seal script, and I wrote it on the top, so that I can recognize the clouds of the years. Shangnan Village Tao Jiucheng."
Although the inscription says "Zuanxuan", it is actually written in official script. It can be seen that the official script and seal script in the inscription and postscript both have ancient meanings to express respect. "Rou Zhaojutan" is "Bingshen", it should be in 1356. Yang Weng, a scholar in Zhuxi, was Yang Qian, a hermit in Songjiang. Zang Xiangqing was also a literati painter in the Yuan Dynasty. The Huangxi here is Luxiang in the central and western part of Jinshan District, Shanghai. Lvxiang Town was built in the Song Dynasty, formerly known as "Huangxi". Later, because the famous Yuan Dynasty scholar Lv Liangzuo (1295-1359) lived here, it was named Lvxiang, and Zhongsong refers to the Wusong River area. According to Mr. Tao Yuzhi's research, the biography of "Characters" in Volume 6 of "Re-Edition of Zhangyan Zhi" was uploaded, and it can be confirmed that the specific birthplace of Yang Qian, who was as famous as Lv Liangzuo, an officer of Huangxi in Shanghai, was today's Jinshan District, Shanghai. Zhangyan Town.

Figure 6 Yuan Dynasty, Ma Wan, Fishing Boat in Autumn Forest, scroll, ink and pen on paper, 92x38cm, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Also inscribed in official script, there is the above-mentioned Yuan Dynasty Li Sheng's "Farewell to Dianhu" (Fig. 7), the diagram is similar. The inscription reads: "Chairman Cai Xiawai, Gao Shi, rushed to the real view, and together with the public, he wrote a poem to send it, and re-wrote this picture to record the years. To Zheng Bingxu (1346) June 10th and 3rd, it was promoted and re-titled in the Yuan Dynasty. Lan abbot." Yuan Lan abbot was Wang Shouyan (1273-1353), a famous Taoist priest from Hangzhou in the Yuan Dynasty. The inscription and postscript reveal the origin of the picture, and the style of calligraphy is somewhat similar to that of Tao Zongyi. In addition, there is a gift from the Yuan Dynasty people in "Send Li Ziyun to Dianshan Thatched Cottage": "The water at the head of the Jade River shoots the sky, and the cottage is only in front of Dianshan." For "Zi Yunsheng Li Shengshi" .

Figure 7 Yuan Dynasty, Li Sheng, Farewell to Dianhu, 1346, ink and color on paper, 23.0 x 68.4 cm, in the collection of Shanghai Museum.

The scroll of Yang Weizhen's "Suihan Tu" (Fig. 8) in the National Palace Museum in Taipei has inscriptions and inscriptions by Yang Weizhen and his disciples, all in the form of poetry. The inscription shows that in the ninth year of Zhizheng (1349), Yang Weizhen went to the Huangxi School (in today's Luxiang, Jinshan, Shanghai) to teach "Spring and Autumn". "Yang Weizhen Chronicle" can correspond. In addition, Lv Xinren's inscription and postscript are also written in official script, and the style of writing is close to that of Li Sheng and Tao Jiucheng.

Figure 8 Yuan Dynasty, Yang Weizhen, "Cold Years", scroll, 98.1x32cm, ink and wash on paper, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Finally, the group inscriptions at the end of the Yuan Dynasty reflect the extensive contacts of scholars. When the painting was drawn, it seemed that sufficient space for inscriptions and inscriptions had been left, reflecting the giving way of images to inscriptions and inscriptions. The beginning of group questions generally starts from the upper right and gradually moves to the middle. But the inscriptions of cultural leaders may also appear most prominently in the center.
Zhang Zhong's "Peach Blossoms and Birds" (Fig. 9) in the National Palace Museum in Taipei is a painting that best reflects the theme of the scholars in the late Yuan Dynasty. The literary leader at that time Yang Weizhen inscribed in the middle with a unique calligraphic style, showing the inherent law of the vertical axis group inscriptions. Among them, Gu Lu's inscription and postscript adopted official script style such as Tao Zongyi, Li Sheng, and Lu Xinren.
In addition, the inscriptions and postscripts in "Peach Blossoms and Birds" have surpassed the characteristics of simplicity, contrasting pictures and compliments. In He Chuanxin's view, the content of the postscript has two meanings. One is to express the friendship with the painter. For example, Yang Weizhen wrote: "I haven't seen Zhang Gongzi for a few years, and suddenly I saw the spring in Xuandu's hometown, but I recalled that Yunjian was a guest together. Huayu flute calls the truth." Another example is Gu Jin's title: "The title in the painting (missing two characters) is pitiful, I only love the romantic old iron immortal, but unfortunately the soul can't be called, the birds sing and flowers fall from year to year. Wu Jun Gu Jinzhong." The other type is a poetic commentary on painting, but with an expression of one's own state of mind. Such as Ye Jiantai: "Little red fat at the bottom of the leaves, spring birds speak the evening light, good hair and feathers, go to the upper forest to fly. Ye Jiantai." Lin Luoqi tree, waiting for you to have tall branches. The vines are scattered." These two postscripts also have expectations for the use of the world. Although the content of the questions mentioned by the scholars refers to painting, it is actually a record of "friends circle" of social interaction. Compared with the court officials, the inscriptions have names, words and titles, and no words such as "respect" and "respect for the book" are not used.
It can be seen from the above that from the appearance of a large number of inscriptions and postscripts in or after the paintings in the mid-Yuan Dynasty, to the "Yushan Elegant Collection", the rise of the literati friends in the Songjiang area in the late Yuan Dynasty, the inscriptions and inscriptions of the literati paintings in the middle and late Yuan Dynasty have created a group of inscriptions in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The wind of chant. Most of the inscriptions and postscripts are farther and farther away from the identification function of the early period and the end of the postscript, and even the calligraphy and painting themselves are often generalized, leaving more traces of friendship and harmony.

Fig. 9 Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Zhong, "Peach Blossoms and Birds", 112.2x31.4cm, ink and pen on paper, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

"History of Calligraphy and Paintings in Song and Yuan Dynasties" by Shi Qi (December 2021 edition of Shanghai Jiaotong University)

[The author of this article is Shi Qi, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of East China Normal University. The content of this article is excerpted from Shi Qi's "History of Paintings and Calligraphy in Song and Yuan Dynasties" (December 2021 edition of Shanghai Jiaotong University), and some texts have been edited. 】