The author of Boyuan Tie: Wang Xun.
"Bo Yuan Tie" is a running calligraphy work created by Wang Xun, a calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is now collected in the Palace Museum, Beijing.
"Bo Yuan Tie" is a letter written by the author to his relative and friend Boyuan. Its writing is natural, smooth, handsome and elegant, making it an early model of running script. The whole article follows the shape of the original character and follows its natural state, and the whole article is harmonious and integrated, as if it were made in heaven.
"Bo Yuan Tie" is the only authentic Dharma calligraphy handed down by famous masters of the Eastern Jin Dynasty recognized by the academic community today. It is also known as "China's top ten famous calligraphy handed down from generation to generation" together with "Kuaixue Shiqing Tie" and "Mid-Autumn Tie". The first "Sanxi Tie" is also listed as one of the "Top Ten Running Scripts in the World", ranking fourth.
Creative background
From the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the development of Chinese calligraphy was facilitated by the specific background of the times and complex historical reasons. Among various art categories, achievements in calligraphy are among the best. The evolution of calligraphy has fully matured, the development of calligraphy has entered a conscious stage, calligraphy creation and theoretical research have yielded fruitful results, and calligraphy styles and calligrapher groups of the era have each shown their own style. This is the first glorious period in the history of calligraphy.
In this prosperous age of calligraphy with hundreds of flowers blooming and colorful, the calligraphy achievements headed by the Langya Wang family can be said to be the pinnacle representative. However, due to various reasons, Wang's original work has not been handed down. The most reliable one is Wang Xun's "Bo Yuan Tie".
As the grandson of the Eastern Jin calligrapher Wang Dao and the distant nephew of the "Sage of Calligraphy" Wang Xizhi, Wang Xun has been practicing calligraphy since he was a child, and was deeply influenced by the calligraphy styles of the Wang family. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty (372-396 years), Xie Xuan and Xie An were both powerful officials at that time. As the son-in-law of the Xie family, Wang Xun was well protected and his career was smooth.
But later due to some conflicts, the two families were at odds, and the Wang and Xie clans turned against each other. However, because Wang Xun was favored by Emperor Xiaowu of Jin, he still held important positions. One day, Xie An ordered that Wang Xun be transferred to Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, as the prefect of Yuzhang. In fact, he wanted to drive him out of Nanjing, the capital. Wang Xun insisted not to go.
In those days, he was very depressed, so he wrote to his cousin Wang Mu (also known as Boyuan), who was the governor of Linhai (now Taizhou, Zhejiang), telling him his anger and dissatisfaction. This is The origin of "Bo Yuan Tie" which has been passed down to this day.
About the author: Wang Xun (350-401), with the courtesy name Yuanlin and the small character Fahu, was born in Langye Linyi (now Linyi City, Shandong Province). A minister and calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he was the grandson of Prime Minister Wang Dao and the son of Wang Qia, the leader of the Central Military Commission. He was first appointed as a vassal of Huan Wen, and both he and Xie Xuan were respected by Huan Wen. In the first year of Long'an (397), he was moved to Shangshu Ling.
When Sima Daozi conquered Wang Gong, he served as the general of the guard and the commander-in-chief of the navy and army of Langye. He served as a regular attendant on the casual cavalry after the rebellion was settled. In the fourth year of Long'an (400), he died of illness at the age of fifty-two. He was given the title of "General of Chariots and Cavalry" and the title of "Kaifu", and was given the posthumous title of "Xianmu", and was later given to Situ. There are eleven volumes of collected works, Gong calligraphy, and his representative work "Bo Yuan Tie" is a rare authentic calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.