Ding Zhenlai was born in Laoting County, Hebei Province in 1949. Now he is a director of China Calligraphers Association, a member of the judging committee and a professor of the training center. His works have been selected in the 4th, 6th and 7th National Book Fair, and the 4th and 5th National Calligraphy Couplet Exhibition for Young and Middle-aged People. More than 3 works participated in the "International Calligraphy Exchange Exhibition" between China and the United States, China and Japan, China and South Korea, and China and Singapore. He won the first prize in the "All-Army Calligraphy Competition", the second prize in the "Secler Cup Calligraphy Competition for International Cultural Exchanges" and the bronze medal in the 8th National Stars Award of the Ministry of Culture.
Chinese name: Ding Zhenlai
Nationality: China
Birthplace: Laoting County, Hebei Province
Date of birth: 1949
Occupation: Director of China Calligraphers Association
Major achievements: First prize of "All-Army Calligraphy Competition"
Representative works: Ding Zhenlai's Calligraphy Collection "ceng" Now he is a director of China Calligraphers Association, a member of the judging committee and a professor of the training center. Ding Zhenlai loves calligraphy in his spare time, and he works hard and enjoys it. He is good at Wei Bei and dabbles in grass. His works have been selected in the 4th, 6th and 7th National Book Fair, and the 4th and 5th National Calligraphy Couplet Exhibition for Young and Middle-aged People. More than 3 works participated in the "International Calligraphy Exchange Exhibition" between China and the United States, China and Japan, China and South Korea, and China and Singapore. He won the first prize in the "All-Army Calligraphy Competition", the second prize in the "Secler Cup Calligraphy Competition for International Cultural Exchanges" and the bronze medal in the 8th National Stars Award of the Ministry of Culture. More than 1 works are scattered in China Culture Newspaper, Calligraphy, Calligraphy Expo, Youth Calligraphy Newspaper, Life of the People's Liberation Army, People's Liberation Army Daily and other newspapers, and special presentations are made. More than 2 books were invited to stone in Quyuan Forest of Steles, Huangshan Forest of Steles, Zheng Chenggong Forest of Steles, Weihai Forest of Steles, Pu Songling Forest of Steles Memorial Hall and other places of interest. His works are included in Mao Zedong's Collection of Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting, Zhongnanhai Collection of Calligraphy and Painting, Zhongnanhai Couplet Collection and other classics. Biography has been entered into more than ten dictionaries such as Who's Who in the World and Dictionary of World Celebrities. Dozens of works have been collected by Zhongnanhai, CCTV, Qi Baishi Memorial Hall, Zhu De Memorial Hall and American Seckler Museum. There are 12 editions of Ding Zhenlai's Calligraphy Collection. Ding Zhenlai has served as a judge of the International Cultural Exchange Secler Cup Calligraphy Competition, the First National TV Calligraphy Competition, the Second National Cursive Calligraphy Exhibition and the Eighth National Book Fair.
The Road to Learning Books
He was born in Zoumafu Village, Hutuo Township, Laoting County, Hebei Province in 1949. After graduating from primary school, he became an activist in organizing learning and propaganda in the village. But he always felt that his stomach was "shallow with ink", and he wanted to continue his school, even dreaming and doing his homework. Perhaps it was fate's care for him. Soon, it happened that Zoumafu Primary School lacked teachers, and he entered the school again as a substitute teacher. The change of role made him feel pressure, so he took the time to enrich himself and refused to let go of the book. As the saying goes, a beautiful hand is a person's second face. He wants to write better so as not to be laughed at. So he practiced calligraphy under Mr. Zhang Yongtai, an old private school in the village. Mr. Zhang was also willing to teach this pious student, often teaching him some knowledge about the structure and techniques of calligraphy, and occasionally marking a few strokes on his homework to encourage him. Since then, Ding Zhenlai has formed an indissoluble bond with calligraphy.
Ding Zhenlai is not much older than the students, and knows what they are thinking and what they like to do. He is strict with his students in class, and organizes basketball and games after class. Children are willing to listen to him. Due to good management, Zoumafu Primary School, which has always been chaotic, was rated as advanced two years later. In 1967, Ding Zhenlai, the "king of the children", was also promoted to be the principal. In addition to teaching and management, he did not give up practicing calligraphy. In the special era of "rebellion is justified", most ancient inscriptions and famous copybooks were burned as "four old", and it was difficult to buy them in bookstores. So President An Lianzhong and Teacher Meng Xiangui of Hugezhuang Primary School, who wrote well, became the objects of his worship and imitation. While going to the town to do business with his companions and others going shopping, Ding Zhenlai focused on these plaques and couplets written by local calligraphers. In the town meeting room, Ding Zhenlai looked at the quotations from Chairman Mao written by them, copied them by hand, and wrote them on paper again and again after returning home. In his eyes, this black-and-white world is so magical and varied. At this time, he is no longer in order to write pleasing to the eye and beautiful, but fell in love with the art of calligraphy, and the more he loves it, the deeper he can't extricate himself.
Ding Zhenlai is not satisfied with his hometown. He wants to broaden his horizons and go outside. As it happens, the husband of a teacher in a neighboring village worked as an instructor in the "Navy Courtyard" in Beijing, and just went to Laoting to recruit soldiers in 197. The teacher mentioned to her husband that Ding Zhenlai wanted to be a soldier. The instructor went down to investigate and found that Ding Zhenlai was 1.8 meters tall and had a good spirit. He not only had the ability, but also wrote well. So he decided: I want this soldier, and he will be a document in our company. As a result, Ding Zhenlai, who was only 21 years old, enlisted in the army and became a naval soldier.
Ding Zhenlai recalled: "The People's Liberation Army is a big school that trains people, and Beijing is a metropolis with rich humanities. From the primary school principal to the glorious PLA soldier, it is another turning point in my life, and I have found a fulcrum for realizing my life ideal and artistic pursuit. "
After entering the army, Ding Zhenlai entered the "Naval Courtyard" and soon attracted the attention of the army chiefs with his beautiful and chic brush strokes. First, he was assigned to the Naval Command as a document, and then he was promoted to platoon leader, serving as the propaganda officer, deputy director and director of the Political Department of the Maritime Administration. He loved his job, actively organized performances, ran blackboard newspapers and held exhibitions, which enlivened the amateur life of the army and won the praise of the heads and soldiers. But his interest in his spare time is calligraphy, because nothing fascinates him more than calligraphy.
In the second year of his arrival in Beijing, in 1972, Ding Zhenlai met Mr. Liu Bingsen through a friend's introduction. Thirty years later, he still clearly remembers the first meeting: when he rode his bike to the Palace Museum and gave a few jins of local products from his hometown to his teacher, he was not nervous. Mr. Liu Bingsen said, "I brought all the good things to my eldest brother. What are you eating?" Mr. Liu Bingsen's hearty laughter and courteous and easy-going scholar demeanor brought the distance between the calligrapher and the soldier closer, and the tension when he came suddenly dissipated. From now on, every once in a while, Ding Zhenlai will take his homework and ask the teacher to comment. And Mr. Liu Bingsen enthusiastically explained to him some knowledge about knot writing, pen writing, ink painting and composition every time, and told him to copy the ancient famous tablet calligraphy in a down-to-earth manner, and constantly draw nutrition from it for our use.
There were few copybooks in bookstores during the Cultural Revolution. Due to the limitations of environment and conditions, Ding Zhenlai was fascinated by everything he saw and learned for a while. Once he was visiting Rong Baozhai, he found a copy of the tablet of the dragon's face published in Yunnan. According to Ci Hai, this monument was erected in the second year of Ming Dynasty (AD 458) of Emperor Xiaowu of the Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties. During the reign of Qing Daoguang, Ruan Yuan paid a cool visit to Lu Liang, Yunnan Province, and it was commonly known as "Da Cuan". Kang Youwei once said in "Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Tan": "The tablet of Yan Long is the most beautiful one in Qiang Mao". The original font on the post made his eyes bright, which was in line with his love for vigorous and chic aesthetics. He did not hesitate to buy back the copybook "Yan Long Tablet" at home, and stayed with him day and night to study it with great concentration. Since then, he has visited the Eastern Jin Dynasty's famous post "The Monument to the Treasure", which is commonly known as "Little Cuan" and praised by Kang Youwei as "simple, thick and ancient, full of strange looks", and Ding Zhenlai also likes it very much.
At this time, Ding Zhenlai felt the sunshine in front of him, and his heart was suddenly enlightened. Isn't this the realm of calligraphy that I pursue? From the contact with "Two Cues", he began to give up the "all-round" loose state, adjust his own thinking, and determined to take "Two Cues" as the source and reference, dig deep into the traditional wisdom, focus on Wei Bei, and embark on a road of personalized development.
Ding Zhenlai embarked on the road of attacking the monument based on "Two Cues", and was also deeply influenced by Kang Youwei, a master of Chinese studies in the late Qing Dynasty. Kang Youwei once brilliantly summarized the "Ten Beauties" of Nanbei and Wei Bei, and put forward that "Nanbei and Wei Bei are the only ones who can live in the past and present", and "All Wei Bei can take one with them, and all of them are adults", and he compared the Monument to the Dragon's Face as "the ancient sage of Xuanyuan, with a crown hanging over it" and listed it as "the first product of the gods". This is the theoretical basis for Ding Zhenlai to learn from the stele and choose the method of "two pieces". Over the years, he has been diligent in the study of "Two Cuan" and studied hard. Only "Yan Long Yan Bei" has been carefully copied for more than 2 times.
the difficulty in learning the tablet on the face of the dragon is mainly due to its composure, liveliness and variety. To this end, Ding Zhenlai worked hard on brushwork skills and plastic writing skills. When he was writing, he took the simple "small hexagram" as a reference, and focused on understanding and grasping the characteristics of "big hexagram", such as being slightly slender, taking more sides with his pen, being unrestrained and changeable. In order to nourish the creation of "hexagram" calligraphy, Ding Zhenlai integrated and studied the "North Monument" as a complete system, wandering between the firm and sonorous "Twenty Products of Longmen", the frank and eclectic "Hundreds of Epitaphs" and the cliff carvings that are dangerous and wild. Those who fit their own spleen and stomach are often present, repeatedly present, and take the essence directly; If you don't agree, taste it and explore its reasons. It is rich in nutrients for him to form his own artistic language and style.
At the end of 198s, Ding Zhenlai's "hexagram" calligraphy appeared frequently in various exhibitions. Fiona Fang's works, with Fang Bi as the main theme, are full of harmony, strong and forceful, forceful and elegant, which won the praise of famous artists and attracted the attention of the book circle. Since then, a large number of his "body" works have become a highlight of important national exhibitions. In particular, his "Biography of Liang Shuming", written in calligraphy, is 2.5 meters high and 6 meters wide. It is carved in front of Liang Shuming's tomb in Huangshan Mountain, Zouping, Shandong Province, and it is magnificent.
Two teachers, learning books and being role models
Ding Zhenlai always remembers Mr. Liu Bingsen when he talks about his long study of books and classics. He said that Mr. Bing Sen is the guide to raise himself from the state of "writing" to the height of "calligraphy". Over the years, in addition to asking for advice, the teacher always gave him a word for reference every time he came to ask for advice, and inadvertently collected a dozen works by Mr. Bingsen. When he complained that Mr. Bingsen was ill in hospital, he never visited him for various reasons, and his eyes were full of melancholy and guilt.
Another teacher who has an important influence on Ding Zhenlai is Mr. Qi Gong, a leading figure in contemporary book circles. Recalling the scene of communication with Kai Lao, Ding Zhenlai is still vivid.
In the summer of p>1991, when Ding Zhenlai and Tong Wei, then vice-chairman of China Book Association, talked about Mr. Qi Gong, they expressed the hope that the venerable old-timer of the book circle would come to visit the "Navy Yard". The next day, Mr. Tong Wei called and conveyed Kai Lao's admiration for the officers and men of the navy, saying that although he had just been discharged from the hospital with a heart attack, he still had to take a trip to the "Navy Yard". Before the trip, the comrades of the Book Association repeatedly told me not to let the old man write, lest he be tired. The 79-year-old Kai Lao came to the "Naval Courtyard" as scheduled. As soon as he was seated, he asked Ding Zhenlai, who was busy, "Do you have any paper?" Four Treasures of the Study was ready, and while talking and laughing, Kai Lao wrote a poem with great interest: "Sail Wan Li to break the long wind, and dry the city on the sea will be a world hero. I spent my spare time painting and calligraphy in Linchi, and I was no better than Jin Feng. " After the ink fell, it caused a round of applause.
One day in p>1993, Ding Zhenlai visited Qigong's home. As soon as I entered the door, I was just catching up with Qi Lao, who was absorbed in copying ancient inscriptions. This scene surprised him greatly, and he thought to himself, "Why do you want to be a copyist when you learn from the old and learn from the rich?"? Seeing Ding Zhenlai's thoughts, the old man quickly joked: "Comrade Ding, can you write?" If you write, you have to be posted. This is like singing a opera. As long as you sing for one day, you have to hang your throat from time to time. "
in p>1995, the navy will hold an exhibition of fine arts, calligraphy and photography in the military museum, and would like to ask Mr. Qi Gong to mark the exhibition. Ding Zhenlai, then political commissar of Tianjin Institute of Surveying and Mapping, was entrusted to return to Beijing to visit Kai Lao. At that time, the old man was preparing to have lunch. After listening to Ding Zhenlai explain his purpose, he said humorously, "Your business is urgent, so I won't eat first, and I'll write to you right away." So he spread the paper and wrote a five-foot exhibition sign.
Mr. Qi Gong's personality and moral character of valuing righteousness over profit, approachable, open-minded and cheerful have a deep influence on Ding Zhenlai, and the encouragement of Qi Lao has made him unforgettable all his life.
Once, Kai Lao accidentally saw the telephone records written by Ding Zhenlai and was very happy. He called Tong Wei, then secretary-general of China Book Association, and Qiao Renhe, director of the office, respectively, and said, "Comrade Ding's handwriting is good. Please tell him that he must continue to work hard." On another occasion, the leaders and experts of the Palace Museum met in Kai's hometown. Kai Lao praised Ding Zhen on the spot and said, "Comrade Ding's Wei Bei is very lively!" It is an honor to be praised by the rigorous study of the old. In the years of communication, Ding Zhenlai has been inspired by the rich learning and upbringing of the old, and purified his soul with his noble character. To this end, he repeatedly lamented on different occasions: "Be a man before writing a book, and the old gentleman who has made contributions is my lifelong model!"
Two Purchases, Unity of Character and Arts
In the interview, when I heard Ding Zhenlai's "28" criterion, I felt very creative and became interested. For Ding Zhen, this is a rule that he never shows others, that is, he spends 8% of his time doing a good job and 2% of his energy studying calligraphy.
As a contemporary of * * * and China, Ding Zhenlai has grown from an ordinary soldier to a naval senior colonel through more than 3 years of hard work. He believes that hobbies are hobbies after all, and it is the bounden duty of revolutionary soldiers to do their jobs well. At this point, we must not waver at any time. This criterion, which embodies his outlook on life and values, enables him to calmly deal with various contradictions in his work and calligraphy creation, and achieve mutual assistance. The soldier's decisive, capable, heroic, simple and straightforward temperament nourishes his bold and broad, imposing, vigorous and chic calligraphy style; The immersion of traditional art and the improvement of calligraphy creation level have exerted a subtle influence on his military career. In the army, his outstanding performance is always praised by officers and men, whether in the Maritime Administration, Tianjin Institute of Surveying and Mapping and Naval Military Research Institute.
There are gains and losses. When he mentioned his lover and children, he felt a sense of guilt. It takes time and a good mood to read the tablet. For many years, when my lover comes back from work, he always takes on all the housework and doesn't let him be distracted. From kindergarten to primary school and middle school, children have three meals a day, and most of them are taken care of by their lovers, so that they can make time to concentrate on calligraphy creation.
In the "Navy Yard", Ding Zhenlai's adult beauty has become a much-told story. He said that the art of calligraphy is essentially the catharsis of the artist's thoughts and feelings, and it is a direct reflection of a person's aesthetic taste and personality style, which is also called "the book is like a person". Ding Zhenlai sticks to his words and practices. The end of each year is his busiest day. During this time, some veterans of the Navy Command and its subordinate units always asked him for Mo Bao, and Ding Zhenlai responded generously every time, trying to meet their demands. Some of them used the souvenirs given by Ding Zhenlai as a stepping stone to open the door to job hunting after returning home. He always laughed at this and said, "My works are not precious, as long as they are useful to veterans." In the author's interview