The last time I saw Hong Biao was after the Ninth National Exhibition and the "Lanting Elegant Collection" in Shaoxing. About he came back with the honor of "Seven sons of Lanting" and looked refreshed. In his calligraphy museum of the Second Artillery Corps, we first visited the downstairs and upstairs, then sat down, made a pot of tea and posed for a chat. The calligraphy museum is spacious and enviable, which inevitably gives birth to feelings. I feel that over the years, Hong Biao has really done the writing well and vividly. It seems that something is gradually rendered like ink on rice paper.
It was a pleasant meeting. We talked about some knowledge and problems about the current situation of calligraphy, and some topics were very in-depth and enjoyable. It can be seen that due to his specific environment and location, his concern is still relatively wide. He enters a topic, his thinking is very focused, and he often cuts in at a small angle and is very casual. But in the end, he will find that this topic is not simple, but also very interesting, with a style characteristic of seeing the big from the small. I think, if calligraphy is more like an unprecedented movement in the contemporary era, in any case, it is difficult for him to get rid of his identity as an active participant and be in the whirlpool wave. There's nothing wrong with that. We all are, but we are deeply or shallowly involved. Smart people can jump out to see the essence of the problem and use their knowledge and wisdom to get rid of what is generally considered good, but in fact it is meaningless or bad. I think Hong Biao is sober in many ways. This stems from his inner poetic characteristics and practical attitude towards life. Here, I don't want to talk about the specific content of our chat (that's another question), I just express my personal impression and feelings about him. At the end of the chat that night, he gave me a novel "To Die, To Live" written by his son Liu Tan. The name seems to coincide with something, like a prophecy, and my heart thumped. But then I felt that, indeed, many things in the world are like this, and there is a strong way that is inextricably intertwined. This detail deepened my impression of that night.
Comment on young calligrapher Xingxiang Li;
The calligraphy lecture released on 2 104 helped me a lot. It is a rare calligraphy lecture. I hope Mr Liu Hongbiao can give us more calligraphy lessons. Teacher Liu Hongbiao is a rare and respected person. He has studied calligraphy for many years.
I wish Mr Liu Hongbiao good health!