Characteristics and achievements of cursive script in late Ming Dynasty

After Qin Long and Wanli, many calligraphers with unique styles and outstanding achievements appeared in the calligraphy field. Such as Xu Wei, Xing Dong, Dong Qichang, Mi, Huang Daozhou, Ni, Wang Duo and Fu Shan. [Mi Wanzhong: "Cursive Poetry"] Xu Wei used cursive to express the qi in his chest. Followed by Xing Dong, Dong Qichang and Mi. Xing Dong extensively studied the calligraphy of famous artists in Jin, Tang and Song Dynasties, and left many works that copied ancient posts. His calligraphy is vigorous, steady and mellow, thanks to Zhong You and Wang Xizhi. Ray's book has a unique style. He found a new way out of Jin and Tang calligraphy, and used it for many purposes, giving people a strange feeling. Mi, a descendant of Mi Fei in Song Dynasty, specializes in rice characters, and his brushwork is calm and vigorous. He was famous for his calligraphy in the north for 40 years. In addition, there are Zhao Huanguang, who created Cao Zhuan, and Song Jue, who specializes in official script. But at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang was the most influential one, creating a generation of calligraphy style. Dong Qichang also wrote regular script, regular script and cursive script. He began to study Yan Zhenqing's Many Pagodas at the age of 17, and later studied under famous artists in Jin, Tang and Song Dynasties. Throughout his life, he took Wang Xizhi's charming posture, Yan Zhenqing's rough and clumsy, and Song people's calligraphy was natural, forming a beautiful and elegant calligraphy style. On calligraphy theory, he emphasized that calligraphy was ancient, and thought that calligraphy could only be born when it was mature, that is, to show the "morale" of calligraphy by covering up the skillful skills with clumsiness. He attached great importance to the calligrapher's cultural and artistic accomplishment, advocated reading more books and getting close to the original works of the ancients, and emphasized reading thousands of books and taking the Wan Li road to improve artistic understanding. All these are related to the theory of northern and southern sects put forward by him in "On Painting". Dong Qichang created a seemingly irrelevant aesthetic and elegant style. Due to the intensification of social contradictions at that time, his calligraphy did not immediately arouse strong repercussions. After the social stability in the early Qing dynasty, it was quickly valued and advocated by the rulers. In addition, Huang Daozhou's obstinacy in the late Ming Dynasty, Ni's new metamorphosis, and Wang Duo and Fu Shan's calmness and boldness all reflected the great changes in the book circle during the period of 10 ~ 20 years before the demise of the Ming Dynasty, which continued until the early Qing Dynasty.