A Comparative Study Of Junzao Qi’s And Shaoji He’s Thoughts As Expressed In Their Dialogic Poetry On Calligraphy

Junzao Qi was a prominent grand secretary in late Qing Dynasty. He, same with Shaoji He, was also a well-known calligrapher, and a master of learning. They are both representatives of Song Poetry School and best friends to each other. During the period of 1855 to 1859, they communicated frequently with each other, mostly through dialogic poetry.10 out of the 27 poems that still remain today are on calligraphy.This paper analyzed and compared the two’s calligraphic ideas as expressed in their dialogic poems. As the comarative anslysis revealed, they hold same ideas on some aspects but different ideas on other. Further, this paper anlysed the causes of these similarities and differences.These similarities and differences showcase the integrations and collisions between conservative theory and innovative theory in calligraphy, and reveal the different choices of literati and officialdom in feudal China of that time, are meanwhile the concentration of art and recognition of social relationship in that special age.