-Happy Rabbit 2008
Li Dan and I are friends and fellow villagers. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Li Lao often came to our unit to talk with me about the customs and historical figures of Gai County, and sometimes talked about poetry, couplets, calligraphy and so on, which benefited me a lot. It is very helpful for me to write A Brief History of Gai County, Historical Figures of Gai County and Epitaph of Gai County. At that time, Gaixian Cultural Relics Management Office had just been established, and everything was very busy, so there was often no time to receive and accompany him in time. After he came, he always looked through China's View on Ancient Literature, Twenty-five History and other documents silently, and never disturbed my work. I like his calligraphy very much, especially a pair of long couplets he wrote for me. I can't put it down, and it still hangs in a conspicuous position in my study. This long couplet was written by Li Lao in the winter of 1983, with 74 words, which can be said to be the essence of all Li Lao's calligraphy works. I made a special trip to Liaoning Provincial Museum for it, and asked Xu Xin, a painting and calligraphy pasting technician, to decorate it carefully for me. Teacher Yang, a researcher of provincial Bo calligraphy and painting at that time, read it and said, "It's well written, and every word is through the back of the paper, and there is no failure, not worse than Gaixian."
Li Lao's works can be called "two unique poems and books", but because he was not famous at that time, the heavyweights in Gai County are worth collecting his things. My recognition of him made him regard me as a confidant, and he almost brought one or two works every time he came. The poems on the couplets are all written to me by him after repeated deliberation and he thinks they are good. One of them has a pair of upside-down sounds, and the bottom is all flat. Of course, there are also couplets I created, which he thinks are good, keep in mind and send to me when he gets home.
Now that Li Lao is dead, I am glad that I can still leave some "talents" for him. Today, there are descendants who can agree with Li Lao's calligraphy art, which shows that you have the eye of Mr. Yang, a connoisseur of calligraphy and painting, which is admirable!
-Master of Pinming Zhai
Like you, I have had the experience of learning books from Li Lao. At that time, I saw a young man named Liu also coming out of a printing factory to study. I don't have a long term. My name is Uncle Xue. Mainly like the old man's words. It has been more than 20 years since his death. In today's Tomb-Sweeping Day, his voice and smile make us miss him more. At that time, I was young and energetic, and I often fought with others. Once, my arm was hurt. Li Lao asked me about my original tail and wrote me four screens, four feet apart. This is a passage that Sima Qian praised Sean in the Han Dynasty: In ancient times, so-called heroes must have extraordinary festivals, and people should not be ninjas. When they saw the shame, they stood up and fought with their swords. This is not brave enough. There are brave people in the world, but they are not surprised at the scene, and they are not angry for no reason, so their hijackers are big and their ambitions are far away! After Mr. Wang finished writing, he explained the truth to me in a few words. Only when a gentleman can endure temporary humiliation can he have lofty ideals and achievements. Although this book is long gone now, Mr. Wang's teachings are often used to encourage himself and dare not forget it!
-Happy Rabbit 2008
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Li Dan once. It was the spring of 1986. I remember Li Lao seemed to be in a wheelchair at that time, but unfortunately I knew a little about calligraphy at that time. Later, I had many opportunities to see Mr. Li Dan's works. After many years, I thought he was really a high-grade calligrapher.