Xue Ji Xue Ji (649-713), courtesy name Sitong, was born in Fenyin, Puzhou (now Wanrong, Shanxi). Painter and calligrapher of Tang Dynasty. He once served as Huangmen's Minister, Chief of Staff, Prince Shaobao, and Minister of Rites. He was known as Xue Shaobao in the world. During the reign of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty, many people at that time took the calligraphy of Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang as models, and Xue Ji was no exception. Xue Ji's calligraphy can be divided into three periods: the early, middle and late periods. In the early period, calligraphy was attributed to Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan; in the middle period, he was attributed to Chu Suiliang and gave great inspiration; in his later years, he got rid of the influence of Ou, Yu and Chu and created his own style, becoming the most influential one in the late early Tang Dynasty. Famous calligrapher. But overall, Chu Suiliang had the greatest influence on him, and he faithfully inherited Chu Shu's appearance. At that time, someone said, "You can get Xue from Chu without losing his integrity." "Guangchuan Book Postscript" said that he "has the same blood as his master, so he is close to Chu. As for his thin brush and smooth writing, he is in a family of his own." Zhang Huaiguan of the Tang Dynasty commented on his book in "Shu Duan": "I learned from Chu Gong (Suiliang), especially his beauty, charming skin and flesh, and he was half of his master. He can be said to be the master of Henan, and he is very treasured by the times." Li Sizhen of the Tang Dynasty wrote in "Sui Liang" Xue Ji's real calligraphy and running script are ranked first in "Jiupin Shuren Lun". Xue Ji's maternal grandfather, Wei Zheng, was a famous official in the early Tang Dynasty. His family had a rich collection. Among them, there were many ink inscriptions by Yu and Chu. Xue Ji was able to observe them for a long time, and then "dedicated to imitating and forgetting to be tired in his poor years". Later, he was enshrined in the inner court and was collected by the Guanmi Mansion. Zhong, Zhang, Erwang and other famous works of the Wei and Jin Dynasties were admired and copied, and finally they became famous all over the world. The famous Kaiyuan prime minister Zhang Shuuo said that "there were Yu and Chu in the front, and Xue and Wei in the back." Later, when talking about calligraphers, he went to Wei to supplement European calligraphy, and Liou, Yu, Chu and Xue were the "four calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty". Artistic Achievement Book: Xue Ji inherited Chu Suiliang's legacy. He first learned Chu Suiliang's graceful, graceful and graceful style. Later, he worked hard on sparse, thin and vigorous, smoothed the knotting of characters, and integrated official script into regular script. Without losing momentum, it is both strong and thin yet rounded, creating a unique style. His calligraphy works include "Zhongyue Stele", "Luoyang Ling Zhengchang Stele", "Xinxing Zen Master's Founding of Religion Stele", "Shengxian Prince Stele", "Buddha Stone Traces Illustrated Biography", etc., among which there are many calligraphy works recognized by the past dynasties. Excellent product. Painting: In the field of art, Xue Ji's highest achievement in his life was painting. To apply the sentence pattern of the ancients, it can be said that "poems are not as good as books, and books are not as good as paintings." Xue Ji's paintings are good at flowers and birds, figures and miscellaneous paintings, especially crane paintings, which are the most exquisite, with both form and spirit, reaching the point of being ready to be expressed, and known as a masterpiece. Poetry: Xue Ji has a very high writing talent, "his articles are academic and his reputation is high in the world." His poems are well written, and "Full Tang Poetry" *** contains 14 of his works. Appreciation of the representative work "The Monument of Zen Master Xinxing" "The Monument of Zen Master Xinxing", also known as "The Monument of the Great Good Knowledge Xinxing Zen Master who Promoted Teaching", was written by Li Zhen, King of Yue, and written by Xue Ji. It was established in August of the second year of Tang Shenlong (706). The stone has been lost for a long time. Now there is only a single copy of the Song Dynasty rubbings collected by He Shaoji of the Qing Dynasty and handed down to the world. Cut and mounted, the end of the volume is damaged, the main text is 25 pages, and there is a postscript of one and a half pages. There are 125 lines of text, with 5 lines in each half and 7 words in each line. Each half is 19.8 cm long and 13.5 cm wide. This volume has now flowed into Japan and is collected by Otani University in Kyoto, Japan. It contains only more than 1,700 words. The content of the inscription records the rise of Buddhism by Zen Master Xinxing, a famous minister in the Sui Dynasty. Short story: Story 1: Du Fu praised Xue Ji for his inscription on the forehead of Puzan Temple, with three big characters and vigorous writing style. Du Fu wrote a poem "Viewing the Wall of Calligraphy and Painting by Xue Shaobao" to praise: "Looking up at the hanging dew, it neither collapses nor rises. Yu Yu San "Big characters, dragons entangled" Story 2: The calligraphy of super fan Xue Ji developed the strong, slim, plump, and straight style of calligraphy in the early Tang Dynasty. His charming and graceful style directly influenced Liu Gongquan in the late Tang Dynasty. Huizong of the Song Dynasty pioneered the "Skinny Gold Calligraphy" and was called the "ancestor of the Thin Gold Calligraphy" by calligraphers of the past dynasties. Story 3: Death given by the emperor Xue Ji was born in a family of officials and had a prominent official career. Wu Zetian promoted him to Jinshi, and he was promoted to a doctor in the Ministry of Rites and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the last year of Jinglong's reign (709), Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, he served as a doctor of Jianyi and a bachelor of Zhaowen Hall. At that time, Li Dan, Emperor Ruizong of the Tang Dynasty, had not yet ascended the throne and had a good relationship with Xue Ji. He married his daughter Princess Xianyuan to Xue Ji's son Xue Boyang. The two became in-laws and had a close relationship. In the first year of Jingyun (710), Li Danfu ascended the throne and immediately promoted Xue Ji to the rank of Taichang Shaoqing. Later, he was promoted to the Minister of Zhongshu, and then transferred to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Rites. With the merits of Yi Zan, he was granted the title of Duke of Jin Dynasty. , granting 300 households a real seal, plus a gift to the prince Shaobao. Emperor Ruizong of the Tang Dynasty often summoned Xue Ji to the palace to assist in political affairs. This was a moment of kindness that no other official could compare with. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. After Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne, Princess Taiping conspired with Dou Huaizhen and others to stage a coup. The incident was revealed and she was killed. Xue Ji refused to report what he knew and was sentenced to death at the age of 65. (Source: West of the Mountains)