Chen Qiquan

CHINA, Guangdong, Meizhou

Born in Fengshun county of Meizhou, Chen Qiquan was a calligrapher who, in childhood, witnessed the revolutionary monk, Master Taixu, and eminent monk, Master Hongyi, writing calligraphy at Kaiyuan Temple in Fujian. Deeply moved, Chen made a wish to utilize the art of calligraphy in the propagation of Buddhist teachings. He was invited to countries such as Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States to hold calligraphy exhibitions. He won the Senior Award for Contributions in Literature and Art in Taiwan and obtained the first China Calligraphy Society Heritage Award. Chen served successively as a professor at Tunghai University in Taichung, Taiwan, and as the chairperson of the Hongdao Calligraphy Society.
Chen’s calligraphy focused on inscriptions and he copied several famous rubbings from stones. He even created a new zongti script by harmoniously combining seal, clerical, cursive, and running scripts into one. His works include Poem by Chan Master Guanxiu, which was engraved into steles and kept at Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.