Letter from Master Daoqian to Shutong

CHINA; Northern Song dynasty

This letter is a friendly correspondence written by Chan Master Daoqian for his friend Shutong. The note was written in response to a letter Shutong sent him while he was away traveling; the content is general and amicable, asking how his friend has been doing in these past months. Master Daoqian was a monk of the Yunmen school who excelled in poetry and befriended many literati. The famous calligrapher and poet Su Shi once praised his verses as “extraordinarily refreshing.” In fact, Daoqian’s name was bestowed upon him by Su.
Daoqian’s original name was He Yunqian, and he was also known as Can Liaozi. He was a close friend of Su Shi, who greatly influenced his calligraphy. Daoqian’s work, Inscription of Revolving Sutra Repository at Jingde Temple, is similar to the calligraphic style seen in Su’s piece, Chenkui Pavilion Stele. The composition and strokes observed in this piece are similar to Su’s correspondences, although they are comparably more square and leveled.