Weng Fanggang (1733- 18 18) was a famous scholar, calligrapher and poet in the Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of Qing Dynasty, and also an important thinker and politician in the middle of Qing Dynasty. His calligraphy, poetry and academic achievements are highly praised.
Weng Fanggang was born in Beijing, and his father Weng Shupei is a famous scholar and calligrapher. Weng Fanggang received a good family education since he was a child, and his literary talent was well cultivated. 1752 was admitted to imperial academy and worked in imperial academy in Qing dynasty, becoming an important official.
In learning, poetry and calligraphy.
Weng Fanggang is a learned and versatile scholar. He devoted himself to the study of Confucian classics and made in-depth research in the fields of Confucian classics, philology, history and geography. His works, General Category of Tong Jian, Classic Interpretation of Tong and Summary of Four Books, all show his profound academic attainments.
In poetry, Weng Fanggang is also an outstanding poet. His poetic style is fresh and natural, with rigorous meter and profound artistic conception. His poems mainly describe natural scenery, express personal feelings and think about society, such as Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night, homesick in autumn night and arriving home at the end of the year.
In calligraphy, Weng Fanggang is regarded as a leading figure in calligraphy in the middle of Qing Dynasty. Its calligraphy style is characterized by precision, fineness, rhyme, elegance and natural fluency, which is called "Weng style" by later generations. Calligraphy works are good at regular script, running script and cursive script, such as "Diamond Sutra" and "Thousand Characters".