Shouren

CHINA, Zhejiang, Hangzhou; Yuan to Ming dynasty

Shouren, also known as Yichu or Mengguan, was a monk and calligrapher from Fuyang, Hangzhou. Before becoming a monk, he studied ancient literature and calligraphy under Yang Weizhen. He later renounced at Yanqing Temple in Zhejiang, and eventually served as abbot of Lingyin Temple in Zhejiang and Tianxi Temple in Nanjing. In addition to propagating the Dharma, Shouren advocated the merging of Buddhism and Confucianism. He also authored the six-fascicle Collection of Mengguan.
Skilled in all types of calligraphy, Shouren was particularly good at cursive script and had a style similar to that of calligraphers from Jin dynasty (265–420). His calligraphic piece, Letter from Master Shouren to Master Guilou Containing Poems, is now kept at the Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey, USA.