(Thirty-four) Caibu Seventh Son
——Zheng Xieli, a Jinshi of the Qing Dynasty
Zheng Xie (1693-1765), courtesy name Kerou, No. Banqiao . He was a scholar in Kangxi, a scholar in Yongzheng, and a Jinshi in Qianlong (the first year of his reign). He was lonely and poor when he was young, and his former residence was in Zhengjia Lane outside Dongcheng City. It still exists today. Commonly known as the "Zheng Family Lobby Room". Banqiao once wrote a couplet saying, "It is adjacent to Wenfeng Ancient Pagoda in the east and Caizi Huazhou in the west." It is located on the riverside between Wenfeng Pagoda (now destroyed) and Zongchen Baihuazhou (now abandoned). To the east of his house is the moat, and there is an ancient plank bridge on the river leading to the bamboo alley. Zheng Xie's nickname Banqiao originated from this.
After becoming a Jinshi, he served as magistrate of Fan County and Weixian County in Shandong Province. Love the people like a son. When there is a big disaster, please ask the disobedient officials to relieve them and then return. Before and after he became an official, he sold paintings in Yangzhou. Poetry, calligraphy and painting are three unique qualities. Banqiao's poems are close to Lu You and Bai Juyi in style, clear and smooth, and have realistic and extensive themes. Ci is better than poetry, expressing nostalgia for the past and impassioned. Together with his teacher Lu Zhen, he is a descendant of the Yunjian Ci School. The calligraphy is unique, creating a "six-and-a-half-point calligraphy". The painting method is used in the brushwork, which is scattered vertically and horizontally. It is combined with real cursive and official script, and the real official script is the main one. He is good at painting orchid and bamboo. The bamboo leaves and orchid leaves are mixed with cursive calligraphy, which is free and interesting. Banqiao often combines painting, poetry and calligraphy. Breaking tradition, the world calls it "weird". In Yangzhou, together with Jin Nong, Huang Shen, Li Wei and others, they formed the Yangzhou School of Painting, also known as the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou". Banqiao has an unruly personality and likes to talk loudly. In his later years, he lived in Green Garden, adjacent to Li Quan's Fuyu Restaurant. He is the author of various works such as "Collection of Zheng Banqiao" and "Authentic Works of Four Sons" which have been handed down to the world and have a great influence. Banqiao was a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in the Qing Dynasty. His talents are comparable to those of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and the Seven Sons of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the plaque says "The Seven Sons of Cai Bu". Unfortunately, the old plaque was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, and was later inscribed in 1990 by the 88-year-old Mr. Fei Xinwo himself. Mr. Fei Xinwo, a native of Suzhou, is a famous contemporary left-handed calligrapher in my country. At that time, he was a director of the Chinese Calligraphers Association and a consultant of the Jiangsu Calligraphers Association.