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Emperor Xiaozong of Song

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Verse by Emperor Xiaozong of Song to Master Fozhao by Emperor Xiaozong (detail); Southern Song dynasty, dated 1181

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Emperor Xiaozong of Song

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

Also known as Zhao Shen, Emperor Xiaozong (reigned 1162–1189) of the Song dynasty was the seventh generation descendant of Emperor Taizu (reigned 960–976), and heir of Emperor Gaozong (1127–1162). He was proficient in calligraphy and it is said that the emperor’s only pastime was comprised of reading and writing.
He inherited Emperor Gaozong’s calligraphic style, studied alongside Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, and was influenced by the gentle tranquility expressed in Master Zhiyong’s Thousand Character Classic in Regular and Cursive Scripts. Emperor Xiaozong’s palatial scripting of large characters resemble those of Yan Zhenqing. His unique calligraphy can be seen in such works as Characters - Famous Taibai Mountain and Verse by Emperor Xiaozong to Master Fozhao.

For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People, page 59.

Cite this article:

Hsingyun, et al. "Emperor Xiaozong of Song." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People , vol. 19, 2016, pp. 59.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youlu, Stefanie Pokorski, Yichao, Mankuang, and Miaohsi. 2016. "Emperor Xiaozong of Song" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People , 19:59.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youlu, Pokorski, S., Yichao, Mankuang, & Miaohsi.. (2016). Emperor Xiaozong of Song. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People (Vol. 19, pp. 59).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Pokorski, Stefanie and Yichao and Mankuang and Miaohsi,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People },
pages = 59,
title = {{Emperor Xiaozong of Song}},
volume = 19,
year = {2016}}


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