The Ming Dynasty, like the Song Dynasty, was also a prosperous time of iron and blood. The passing and engraving of law posts is very active. Because of the popularity of scholar-officials and calligraphy, calligraphy creation was affected. Therefore, the calligraphy style of the whole Ming Dynasty was mostly running script, which could not be traced back to Qin, Han and Northern Dynasties. The works of seal, Li and Bafen are almost extinct, and the regular script is exquisite and delicate.
During the Yongle and Orthodox Dynasties of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong and Yang Pu successively entered imperial academy and Wen Yuan Pavilion and wrote a large number of inscriptions, which were called Guangchang Style, or Taige Style.
"Taige Style" seems elegant, plain and simple, but it is divorced from social real life, lacking profound and incisive content and tolerance, and only has gorgeous forms. Due to political reasons, people are competing to imitate and learn from each other, so that "Tiger Style" has become a genre with great influence.
In order to reverse this situation, four gifted scholars in Wuzhong began to pursue the past and seek the true meaning of calligraphy, among which Zhu Yunming was the representative.