When Huaisu was 49 years old, he wrote the biography of Wang Xizhi (in cursive script).
Huai Su (737~799), known as the "Cao Sheng" in history, was an outstanding calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name is Zangzhen, his monk's name is Huaisu, his common surname is Qian, Han nationality, from Lingling, Yongzhou (Lingling, Hunan). He is the nephew of Qian Qi, one of the ten talented men in Dali.
He became a monk since he was a child. During his free time from meditation, he devoted himself to cursive writing. He is as famous as Zhang Xu and is collectively known as "Dian Zhang Kuang Su". This formed a situation where the two peaks of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty coexisted, and they were also two figures in the history of Chinese cursive writing. Peak. Huaisu's cursive calligraphy is thin and vigorous, with natural flying movements, like a sudden rain and whirlwind, changing at any time. Calligraphy is straightforward, ever-changing, and full of rules. He has interacted with many famous people such as Li Bai, Xu Hao, Wu Tong, Yan Zhenqing, Lu Xiang, Lu Yu, Dai Shulun, Su Huan, etc.
His cursive works include "Self-narrative Post", "Bitter Bamboo Shoot Post", "Eating Fish Post", "Notre Dame Post", "On Calligraphy Post", "Da Cao Qian Wen" and "Xiao Cao Thousand Character Essay" on paper, "Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters", "Zhen Zhen Tie", "Lü Gong Tie", "Qi Tie", "Beiting Cao Bi", etc. The calligraphy works handed down from generation to generation include "Autobiography Calligraphy", "Xiaocao Thousand Character Essay" on paper, "Bitter Bamboo Shoots Calligraphy", "Notre Dame Calligraphy" and "On Calligraphy Calligraphy".
From the perspective of graphology, Huaisu's calligraphy lines throughout his life tended to be thin in texture, which has a lot to do with the aesthetics of bitter cold meditation. When Huaisu was young, calligraphy was based on "not following the ancients". According to the inheritance of Chinese calligraphy, he is still "unable to follow the law" and is still outside the door of orthodox calligraphy. When Huaisu was twenty-nine years old, he wrote "Eight Poems on Autumn Xing". "Eight Poems of Autumn" is a poem by Du Fu, which was composed in the first year of Dali (766), three years after the "An-Shi Rebellion".
Huaisu's calligraphy style in this post was not yet mature at this time, and his heart was also in a hesitant stage. For a "wild fox Zen" or a "cheap chicken", Huai Su's cursive script cannot be recognized at all. The calligraphy lines of "Eight Poems on the Rise of Autumn" are bloated and contain cowardice. In order to pursue the effect of "one stroke of writing", the stringing of strings seems very far-fetched and gives people a feeling of procrastination. No matter whether he is starting, writing or finishing his writing, he is far from reaching the threshold of Jin people.