Fan Chengda

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Southern Song dynasty

Fan Chengda, who was also known as Zhineng or Shihu Jushi, was a poet and calligrapher from Wuxian, Jiangsu (present day Suzhou, Jiangsu). After becoming an Imperial Scholar in 1154, he served for numerous years in the imperial court, holding various positions such assistant writer, officer, governor, among others.
Alongside that of Lu You, Zhu Xi, and Zhang Jizhi, Fan’s style of calligraphy became regarded as one of the four prominent schools of Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) calligraphy. In addition, together with Lu You, Yang Wanli, and You Mou, he was commended as one of the Four Great Poets of Zhongxing. His published works include Records of Travel from Chengdu to Lin’an, Collection of Poems by Shihu Jushi, and Commentary on the Names of Ancient Temples in Chengdu.
Fan also enjoyed studying Buddhism, and in composing poetry, he paid particularly close attention to the classical quotes and connotations of Chan masters; a theme that also appeared in his calligraphic works. He specialized in clerical-cursive script, which he modeled after the renowned calligraphy of Su Shi, Mi Fu, and Huang Tingjian.
As a result of his visit to Ayuwangshan (Asoka Mountain) in 1181, Fan composed four poems in seven-character verse, which he gave as a gift to Chan Master Fozhao. The poems were later inscribed onto a stele entitled Poems Dedicated to Master Fozhao. His other piece, Letter to My Sister-in-Law, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing.