Thousand Character Classic in Cursive Script

CHINA; Tang dynasty

The Thousand Character Classic is an essential rudimentary text for teaching children Chinese characters. It was developed in the Liang dynasty (502–587) under the commission of Emperor Wu (reigned 502–549). Its contents are all-inclusive and have had a historically far-reaching influence, such that many calligraphers have copied this work over the years, particularly during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The monk, Huaisu wrote this copy when he was 63 years old.
Huaisu was also known as Qian or Cangzhen. He was a Tang dynasty monk and calligrapher from Changsha (present day Hunan). A pioneer of the wild cursive script, his multi-faceted Autobiography of Huaisu is an exemplar of his calligraphic achievements. The serene nature of this work reflects concepts of Buddhism. Later generations regarded each character of the work as “worth a piece of gold.” It is therefore known as Calligraphy of a Thousand Gold Pieces.