Table Of Content

Court Calligraphy of the Early T'ang Dynasty Author(s): Stephen J. Goldberg Reviewed work(s): Source: Artibus Asiae, Vol. 49, No. 3/4 (1988 - 1989), pp. 189-237 Published by: Artibus Asiae Publishers Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3250037 . Accessed: 18/01/2013 09:13 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Artibus Asiae Publishers is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Artibus Asiae. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions STEPHEN J. GOLDBERG Universityo f Hawaii COURT CALLIGRAPHY OF THE EARLY T'ANG DYNASTY genesis study calligraphy early of this of the of the T'angd ynasty lies in the research The undertakenf or my doctoral dissertationw, hich in part has been selectivelyr etained. However,t he centralt heoreticaal ndm ethodologicapl roblematidc efinedi n the earlierw orkh as only subsequentlyb eenr esolvedi n the presentw riting.I t concernst hep ossibilityo f offeringa n accounto f a worko f arti n its structuraal ndf unctionasl pecificitya s ana esthetico bject,w hichi s at the samet ime sufficientlyb roada s to addressi ts widers ociali mplications. Approachest o the study of art havet ypicallyg ravitatedto one or two extremes:t hey are eitheri nvestigationos f the aesthetici n almostt otal isolationf rom the interventiono f socially determinativceo nditionso r they arer eductionistc, onceivingt he aesthetica s simplyt hep assive reflectiono f the social,p olitical,a nde conomicc ircumstanceisn fluencingth e processo f artistic production. A resolutiont o these issuesi s most importantt o an understandinogf the arto f calligraphy wheret he aesthetica nde xtra-aesthetiocr pragmatifcu nctionsa rea lmosta lwaysc o-presentT. his is especiallytr uef or the officialc alligraphpy roduceda tt hec ourto f the earlyT 'ang.T hesew orks constitutea classicaml omenti n theh istoryo f Chinesec alligraphayn dh aves ervede vers incea sa standardo f artisticp erfection.A t the same time, the imperialp atronageo f calligraphyw as demonstrablmy otivatedb y ideologicacl onsiderationsc,h iefa mongt hem,t he desiret o effecta n imageo f legitimacyf or the rulingh ouse. On the ninth day of the eighth month in the year 626, Li Shih-min (posthumously known as T'ai-tsunga) cceptedt he abdicationo f his fatherK ao-tsua nda scendedth e thronet o becomet he second emperoro f the T'ang dynasty.I n the next month he establishedt he College for the Developmento f Literature(H ung-wenK uan),a schoolf or the sons of the imperiafl amilya nd sons of civil and military officials of the fifth rank and above, residing in the capital.1I t was founded in response to the increasings ize and complexity of the bureaucracya nd the expanding function of the civil service examinations.A mong those scholars appointed to this prestigious institution were Ou-yang Hstin and Yii Shih-nan the two leading (557-645)2 (558-638),3 1T 'ang hui-yao 64. 1114. 2 Ou-yang Hsiin, biographies in Chiu T'ang-shu (Po-na edition) I89.5b-6a and Hsin T'ang-shu (Po na edition) I98.6b-7a. 3 Yii Shih-nan, biographies in Chiu T'ang-shu 72.Ia-2b and Hsin T'ang-shu Io2.3a-5b. 189 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions masterc alligrapherso f the early T'ang, as well as Ch'u Liang (558-645)4 whose son, Ch'u Sui- liang( 596-658),5w ould becomet he thirdg reatc alligrapheorf the period. In the first year of the Chen-kuane ra (627), 24 studentsw ere admittedt o the Hung-wen Kuan. Yii Shih-nan and Ou-yang Hsuin specifically received an imperial command to demon- stratek 'ai-shu6o r standards cripta t the college.'A lthoughr ecognizedf or theirc alligraphiacr t, Ou-yang Hsiin and Yii Shih-nan were first and foremost eminent scholar-officials.O n the rare occasion that they were summoned to demonstratet heir art, it was to a restricteda udienceo f the rulinge lite.T his singulare venti s emblematico f the aestheticp racticeo f calligraphya t the court of the earlyT 'ang. In the T'angd ynasty,a distinctionw as drawnb etweent he calligraphyo f the scholar-official andt hatp roducedb y thel ess esteemedg overnmenot fficialw ho specializedin thed isciplineT. he School of Calligraphy( Shu-hsiieh)w as founded by T'ai-tsungi n 628 and placed under the directiono f the StateU niversity( Kuo-tzuC hien).8I t provideds pecializedin structionf or the sonso f low rankingo fficialsa ndc ommonersS. tudentsa ttendingth iss choolw ereg ivenp repara- tion for a specializede xaminationi n calligraphyr, eferredt o as the ming-shuo r ming-tzu, established approximately in the year 629. Ikeda On notes the following with respect to this examination: Although it is usually described as an examination in 'calligraphy', it was more of an examination in epigraphy, paleography, and etymology, involving a close study of the classics engraved on stone in the third century and of ancient dictionaries Tzu-lin and Shuo-wen. It was taken by rather few students, and its graduates, whose point of entry was the lowest of all normal ranks, could expect only a limited career in a narrow range of appointments, in such offices as the Imperial Library.9 In this essay, we will examinet he extant calligraphwy ritteni n k'ai-shub y Ou-yang Hsiin,Y ii Shih-nan,a nd Ch'u Sui-liang,c onceiveda s the instantiationo f calligraphicp racticesw hich coalescei nto the dominantp aradigmo f aestheticn orms,a rtisticc onventionsa, nds ocialv alues traditionallya ssociatedw ith the classicasl tyle of the T'angd ynasty.T hey canb e shown,i n fact, to representth e concretem anifestationi,n the mediumo f calligraphyo, f a moreb roadlyb ased systemo f aestheticp racticesa lso exemplifiedin courtf igurep aintinga ndB uddhists culpture. The methodologicadl ecisiont o examineC hinesec alligraphya s aestheticp racticea nd not simply as objet d'art, is ultimately to understandi t as producedn ecessarilyi n a specific historical contextt hati nvolvest he circumstanceosf its productionH. ere our attentionw ill centero n the situatedu se of calligraphiac rtf ormsc onceiveda s communicativper ocessesm ediatingr elation- shipso f "consciousnessi,d eology,r ole andc lass."' Fromt hisp erspectivew, e mays peako f the 4 Ch'u Liang, biographies in Chiu T'ang-shu 72.ga-I2b and Hsin T'ang-shu io2.7a-8b. 5 Ch'u Sui-liang, biographies in Chiu T'ang-shu 80.Ia-7a and Hsin T'ang-shu Io5.5b-8b. 6 "The word k'ai (also translated 'regular', 'block', or 'formal' script) needs some explanation. In the pre-T'ang period it meant 'model' or'standard', and referred to a type of clerical script, pa-fen, in use at the time. In modern usage'standard k'ai' refers to the script which was most widely called chen-shu or cheng-shu. (See Chang Huai-kuan, Shu-tuan, in Fa-shu yao-lu 7/Io8)" (Fu Shen et al., Traces of the Brush, pp. 69-73). 7 T'ang hui-yao 64.III5. The Kuo-tzu Chien or Inspectorate of Education and the School of Calligraphy in the Sui dynasty. 8 9 Ikeda On, "The decline of the T'ang autocracy," in The Cambridge History of China (forthcoming). o1R0 oger Fowler, Literature as Social Discourse: The Practice of Linguistic Criticism (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, I98I), p. 80. 19o This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions correlationo f calligraphicp racticesa nd the social circumstancews ithin which they occur as RogerF owlerh as of languageu sage: Therei s a dialecticailn terrelationshbipe tweenl anguagea nd socials tructuret:h e varietieso f linguistic usage are bothproducts of socioeconomic forces and conditions - reflexes of such factors as power relationships, occupational roles, social stratification, etc. - and practices which are instrumental in forming and legitimating these same social forces and institutions.n In this study, I proposet o investigatet he relationshipb etweent he specifics tyles of early T'ang calligraphya nd the overall ideology of the social class of those responsiblef or its production and those for whom it was produced. The aim is to arrivea t an historicalu nderstand- ing of the significanceo f these works in the totality of their aesthetica nd sociopolitical dimensions. To thise nd,w e shallb eginw ith a narrativaec counto f the significanet ventsi n thel iveso f Ou- yang Hsiin, Yii Shih-nana, nd Ch'u Sui-liangfo r the purpose of definingt heirp laces withint he sociala nd ideologicalf ormationo f the court. THE CALLIGRAPHERS OF THE EARLY T'ANG DYNASTY I. Ou-yang Hsiin, Yii Shih-nan, and Ch'u Sui-liangw ere numbereda mong the elite within the early T'ang bureaucracy,r eferredt o as kung-ch'ingo r "dukesa nd ministers."B y the beginning of the T'ang, Ou and Yii were alreadyo ver sixty years of age, older than both T'ai-tsung and his father, Kao-tsu. All three were trusted scholar-officialso f high moral quality, with advanced educationsa nd distinguishedr ecords of servicei n previous governmentala dministrations.T hey each came from an established southern family of the hereditarya ristocracy. Ou-yang Hsiin was a native of Lin-hsiangi n T'an-chou (Ch'ang-sha).H is tzu was Hsin-pen. Ou's father, grandfather,a nd great-grandfathera ll served under the Liang dynasty (502-568). His father, Ou-yang Ho,12 served during the T'ien-chia era (560-566), under Ch'en Wen-ti, as Vice-Presidento f the ImperialC hancellerya nd AuxiliaryA ssistantP olicy Advisor to the EmperorA. fterh is father'sd eathi n 569,O u-yangH siinw asr aisedb y his father'sf riendC hiang Tsung( 51 8-59o),13P residento f the Departmenot f the ImperiaSl ecretariat.C14h iangT sung,a notedm astero f courtp oetry,a lsos erveda sV ice-Presidenotf the Departmenot f Affairso f State in the Ch'ena ndw as givent he prestigioust itle k'ai-fui t'ung-san-ssud uringt he Sui. Therei s the followingd escriptiono f Ou-yangH siin in the Chiu T'ang-shu": Althoughh is appearancwe asu gly,n everthelessh, e wasc leveri n apprehensioann de xtremelyu pright." He is furtherc haracterizeda s widely read in the Classics and Histories and also well versed in the san- shih (i. e. the Book of History, the Book of Poetry, and the Springa nd Autumn Annals).16 " Fowler, p. 21. 12O u-yang Ho, biography in Ch'en-shu 9.9b-ioa. 3 Chiang Tsung, biography in Ch'en-shu 27.Ia-6b. 14T ou Chen (T'ang), Shu shu fu, in Fa-shu yao-lu (ISTP edition) 6.94. 15 Chiu T'ang-shu 189.5b. Ou-yang Hsiin's appearance was taken as the pretext for a slanderous attack on the Ou-yang family in a T'ang Ch'uan-ch'i tale entitled, Pu Chiang Tsung Po-yiian ch'uan or simply "The White Ape." For a translation, see Wang Chi-chen, Traditional Chinese Tales (New York: Columbia University Press, 1944). 16 Chiu T'ang-shu 189.5a. 191 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Yii Shih-nanw as a nativeo f Yii-yaoi n Yueh-chou( Chekiangp rovince)H. is fathera ndg reat- grandfathebro th servedi n the Liangd ynasty."H is fatherY, ii Li,18se rvedi n botht he Lianga nd the Ch'end ynastiesa nd has been called" am ano f integritya ndp urity"( jen-wuc h'ing-pai).19 Witht he deatho f his fatheri n Yii Shih-nanis saidt o havew ornh imselfo ut with excessive 56I, griefa ndw aso vercomew ith mourningH. is uncleY ii Chi,20n ot havinga son of his own, directed Yii Shih-nant o end his mourninga ndm adeh imh is own heir;h enceS hih-nan'tsz u wasP o-shih or "PaternaUl ncle's Beneficiary." In his youth,Y ii Shih-nanw as a discipleo f two of thel eadingc ourtp oetso f the sixthc entury, Hsii Linga ndC hiangT sung.H e would eventuallyw ritep oetrya t the courto f SuiY ang-tia nd becomeo ne of the most importanpt oets at the courto f T'angT 'ai-tsungY. ii Shih-nana ndC h'u Sui-liang'sfa ther,C h'u Liang,w ered irectlyr esponsiblefo r the continuationo f the traditiono f southernd ynastiesc ourtp oetry duringt he Sui andT 'angd ynasties.2Y1i i Shih-nanw as also, as we shall see, the principalt ransmittero f the southernt raditiono f calligraphyin the T'ang dynasty. Ch'uS ui-liangw as borni n the I6thy earo f the K'ai-huanger a( 596),i n the reigno f SuiW en- ti. His tzu was Teng-shan and he was a native of Ch'ien-t'ang in Hang-chou (Chekiang province).C h'u's ancestorsm oved to the south from Yang-ti( modernY ii-hsieni n Honan province)a nds ervedf or generationus ndert he southernd ynastiesH. is fatherw as an officiali n the Ch'en, Sui, and T'ang dynasties.I n 587, in the reign of Ch'en Hou-chii, he was Vice- Presidento f the Departmento f PalaceS ervices. A. AT THE COURT OF THE SUI The Sui conquesto f the south occurredi n 589,w hen SuiW en-ti'sf orcesi nvadedt he capital andt ook Ch'enS hu-pao( 553-604), laste mperoro f the Ch'end ynasty,c aptiveT. her estoration of a politicallyu nifiedC hina,a ftera lmostt hreec enturieso f disunion,r equiredth ec entralization of power in a strong and effectiveg overnmentu, ndert he leadershipo f an emperorw hose sovereigntyw as recognizedi n all sectorso f the country.T he establishmenot f legitimacyw as cruciatl o the successo f this ambitiousu ndertakingW. henS uiW en-tib egant he formationo f his governmentin the first yearso f his reign,t herew as alreadya cleari ndicationo f his vision of rulinga unifiedC hina.R athert hans implyc ontinuingt he politicali nstitutionso f the preceding NorthernC hou dynasty,h e decidedt o follow "thep recedentsi,n all such matters,o f the last great Chinese empire, the Han, and its 'legitimate'i f short-lived successor dynasty, the Ts'ao- Wei (220-265)."22 i7 Ch'en-shu 19.5a and Chiu T'ang-shu 72.Ia. is Yii Li, biography in Ch'en-shu 19.5a-7b. 19S hodo zenshu, Vol. 7, pp. 181-2. 20 Yii Chi, biography in Ch'en-shu 19.7b- 15b. 21 Yii Shih-nan's extant poetry is recorded in Ch'in ting ch'iian T'ang shih (Shanghai:T 'ung wen shu chu, 188 7) chiian 2, pp. 65b-67b. For a discussion of his poetry, see Stephen Owen, The Poetry of the Early T'ang, pp. 42- 2. Unlike Yii Shih- nan's numerous poems, there remains only one poem each by Ou-yang Hsiin and Ch'u Sui-liang. See Ch'in ting ch'iian T'ang shih, chiian 3, pp. 60a and 75a. 22 Arthur E Wright, The Sui Dynasty (New York: Alfred A Knopf, I978), p. 91. 192 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Whent he armieso f the Suif inallye nteredC hien-kanga ndo verthrewt he Ch'en,m oret han 800socor ollso f calligraphya ndp aintingw erec onfiscatedfr omt he palacec ollection.S ecuringth e possessionso f a defeatedd ynastyw as a traditionasly mbolica ct of legitimizationS. torehouses for the imperial collection were established at the Sui court23S ui Yang-ti, at this time Prince Kuango f Chin, assembleda t his court more than Io o eminent southern literati, among them Yii Shih-nan.24H e also summoned a number of connoisseurs to examine and authenticate the calligraphyi n the palace collection. Sui Yang-ti'sp romotion of southern culturea nd southerno fficialsw as not only an expression of his personal preferences, but also a recognition of the south as his true base of support. It representedh is attempt to assert his independencea t a court long dominated by the entrenched gentry of the northwest, the base of his father's support. SuiY ang-tiw as enthroned in 605. Althoughh is reignw as brief,i t was an importanpt eriodo f culturalc ross-fertilizationB. ecauseo f his favorablep olicies toward southerners,O u-yang Hs in, Yii Shih-nana, nd Ch'uL iangw ere givent he opportunityto hold responsiblep ositionsa s scholar-officialast his court.F or examplei,n the firsty earo f SuiY ang-ti'sr eignO u-yangH siin andC h'uL iang,b oths ervinga s Professorso f ImperiaSl acrificesw, eres ummonedto assistY ang Su,25D uke of Yiieh, in the compilation of the Weih istory. However, when Yang Su died the very next year,t he projectw as terminated. At the beginningo f the Ta-yehe ra Yii Shih-nanw as appointedt o the office of (60o-617), Librariano f the ImperialL ibrary.D uring this time he was responsiblef or compilingt he encyclopediaen titled,P ei-t'angs huc h'ao.H e wast hent ransferretdo thep ost of officialc harged with recordingt he actionso f the ruler. AlthoughY ang-tia pparentlya ppreciateYd ii Shih-nan's abilitiesh, e was saidt o haved islikedh is stricta nds traightforwarmd annerD. espiteh is official positions,Y ii Shih-nani s portrayedi n the StandardH istoriesa s havingm aintaineda simple, frugal life in comparison to his elder brother, Yii Shih-chi, who, as Vice-President of the Departmento f the ImperialS ecretariatw, as a most powerfulo fficiali n Sui Yang-ti'si nner circle.26 B. SERVICE UNDER THE REBELS Despitei ts enormousa chievementst,h e gloryo f the Suiw ass hort-livedW. hatb roughta bout its demisew as economicu nrest,p recipitatedb y heavyt axationa ndt he recruitmenot f corvee labor.T hesee xactionsw eret he resulto f excessesi n thep olicieso f Yang-tii n the sectoro f public works projects,p articularlyt he constructiono f an easternc apitala t Loyang, the expansiono f the canal system, and military ventures, such as the one against Koguryo. 23L i-tai ming-hua chi (ISTP edition), For a translation, see William R.B. Acker, Some T'ang and Pre-T'ang Texts on 1.17. Chinese Painting (Leiden: Brill, 1954), pt. I, p. 124. 24 Sui-shu 58.8b. 25Y ang Su, biography in Sui-shu 48.Ia-i2b. 26 Yii Shih-chi, biography in Sui-shu 67.i1a-6a.F or a discussion of his role and power, see Wright, pp. 167-169, Sui-shu 67.4a-5b and Tzu-chih t'ung-chien (Peking: Ku-tien ch'u-pan she, 1957) i80.5654. In the year 6 I, while still in this office Yii Shih-chi collaborated with Ou-yang Hsiin on the Yao Kung mo-chih. Yii Shih-chi composed the epitaph and Ou- yang Hsiin provided the calligraphy in small-standard script. For a reproduction of an attributed version, see Ou-yang Hsiin shu Sui Yao Kung-kung mo-chih (Hong Kong: Chung-kuo shu-fa ch'u pan she, 1976). 193 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions With the deteriorationo f the centralizedp oliticala uthority,a power vacuumd eveloped duringt he last years of the Sui dynasty.R ebell eaders,s upportedb y disaffectedo fficialsa nd segmentso f the militarya nd of the generalp opulace,r evolted,s eizingp ower throughoutt he country.27 During this chaotic period, Li Yiian, Duke of T'ang (posthumously known as Kao- tsu) rose steadilyt hrought he Sui militaryr anks.B y 617h e was madeG arrisonC ommandero f Tai-yiian. With Emperor Yang-ti in retreata t his "riverc apital"o f Chiang-tu, Li Yiian emerged as the most powerful leader.28 In the fourth month of the year 617, Hsiieh Chii, an official of Chin-ch'eng chiin (modern Kao-lan, Lan-chou, in Kansu province),p roclaimedh imself King and Lord Protectoro f WesternC h'in.A mongt he commanderieosv erw hichh e gainedc ontrolw as Lung-hsic hiin,o n the WeiR iver.I n the dispersiono f the populationf romt he capital,C h'uS ui-lianga ccompanied his fathert o Lung-hsi.I n Lung-hsi,C h'u Sui-liangs erveda s PresidingO fficialu nderH siieh Chii. On the twentieth day of the twelfth month of the year 617,L i Yiian dispatchedh is second son Li Shih-min( T'ai-tsung)t o attackH siiehC hii. Withind ays,H siiehC hii was defeatedL. i Shih- min took advantageo f this and otherv ictoriesi n the field to recruitm en of superiort alentt o servea s the baseo f supportf or his own politicala mbitionsw ithint he court.C h'uS ui-lianga nd his father returnedw ith Li to the capital. Ch'u Sui-liangw as grantedt he post of k'ai-ts'ao ts'un- chuna nd Ch'u Liangw as assignedt o the post of Directoro f ClassicalS tudiesi n the Princeo f Ch'in Office. On the eleventhd ayo f the thirdm onthi n the year6 18,S uiY ang-tin, ow a "retirede mperor," was murdered at his detached palace in Chiang-tu by one of his officials, Yii-wen Hua-chi. Yii Shih-nan'sb rotherw as also killed.29Y ii Shih-nanf ollowed Hua-chi to Liao-ch'eng (in Shantung province)I. n the secondm ontho f 619,t he Suir ebelT ouC hien-tec apturedY ii-wenH ua-chia nd murdered him. Yii Shih-nan also was captured and served as Vice-President of the Imperial Chancellerya t Tou Chien-te'sc apitali n Lo-shou, in Ho-chien chiin, in SouthernH opei.30 Among those also servingT ou at this time were Ou-yangH siin, appointedL ord of Imperial Sacrifices,3a1n dW eiC heng,c apturedb y Toua t Li-yangw hereh e was on assignmenfto r T'ang Kao-tsu.32 C. AT THE COURT OF THE EARLY T'ANG On the 2oth day of the fifth month in the year 618,t he Duke of T'ang, Li Yiian, was enthroned as the first emperor of the T'ang dynasty and the Wu-te ("military virtue") era commenced. One of Kao-tsu's first tasks was to secure his power and authority and establish the legitimacy of his 27F or a detailed discussion of the events of this period, see Woodbridge Bingham, The Founding of the T'ang Dynasty: The Fall of the Sui and the Rise of T'ang (Baltimore: Waverly Press, I94I). 28H is stationing at T'ai yuan was one of a series of coincidences which Li Yiian interpreted as propitious heavenly signs legitimizing his right to found a new dynasty. For a detailed discussion, see Howard Wechsler, "The founding of the T'ang dynasty: Kao-tsu (reign 618-26)," in The Cambridge History of China (Cambridge England and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1970), Vol. 3, chapter 3, pp. 154-6. 29 Chiu T'ang-shu 72.16. 30 Shodo zenshu, Vol. 7, p. I89. 31S hodo zenshu, Vol. 7, p. I89. 32H oward J. Wechsler, Mirror to the Son of Heaven (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974), pp. 64-6. 194 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions rule.I t wasd uringh is reign( 618-626) thatt he institutionaal ndp oliticalf rameworko f the early T'angw as establishedH. is strategy,f or practicaal s well as symbolicr easons,w as to createa senseo f continuityw ith the past.T he organizationo f the centralg overnmentf,o r examplew, as based on the Three Departmentss ystem of the Sui dynasty:t he Departmento f Imperial Secretariatth, e Departmenot f the ImperiaCl hancellerya, ndt he Departmenot f Affairso f State. Furthermorea,s HowardW echslerh as noted: Virtually all high-rankingm emberso f Kao-tsu's bureaucracyf ell into one or more of three categories:t hey had prior experiencea s Sui officials;w ere sons or grandsonso f officialso f the Northern Chou, Northern Ch'i, or Sui dynasties;o r were descendedf rom former imperial houses.33 Ou-yang Hsiin was among those selected. He had been a close acquaintance of Li Yiian before he became emperor. Although it is unclear as to the exact date when Ou-yang left the employ of Tou Chien-te,i n the secondy ear of the Wu-te era (619) he was appointedt o the responsiblep ost of GrandS ecretaryo f the Departmenot f the ImperiaCl hancellery. By this time, Ou-yangH siin'sf amea s a calligraphehra d spreada s fara s the North Korean kingdomo f Koguryo.K ao-tsui s reportedt o haver emarked: I had no idea Hsiin's calligraphyh as spreade verywheree, ven to distantb arbariantr ibes.H aving seen his traces can it not be said that his forms are strong and stalwart.34 Indicativeo f thisr ecognitionO, u-yangH siinw asr equestedto providet hec alligraphfyo rt he designo f the currencyK ao-tsub eganm intingi n the seventhm ontho f the year 621. This was undertakenin ordert o replacet he previousc oinageo f the Suiw hich,b y the endo f the dynasty, had becomew idely counterfeitedo r largelyd iscardedin favoro f exchangesin commodities.35 In the eighthm ontho f 624, Ou-yangH siin, alongw ith P'eiS hiha ndC h'enS hu-ta,r eceived an imperiacl ommandt o compilet he I-wen lei-chi,3o6n e of the most importante ncyclopedias for the poetry of the Southern Dynasties and early T'ang. In it a poet could find a codification of the traditional "lore, of literary references and stories.., along with examples of proper treat- ment.",,3377 Yii Shih-nan, unlike Ou-yang Hsiin, had stayed on in the employ of Tou Chien-te. This decisiona nd the historicalc ircumstancetsh at followed had profoundi mplicationsf or Yii's career. In the seventh month of the year 620, Li Shih-min was commanded to subdue the armies of Wang Shih-ch'ung, former guardian of the Sui Eastern Capital at Loyang. Tou Chien-te came to Wang's support but the two were defeated at Loyang by Li Shih-min in the fifth month of the year 62 Yii Shih-nan was one of the subordinates to Tou Chien-te to follow the Prince of Ch'in I. 33W echsler, "The Founding of the T'ang: Kao-tsu," p.i70. 34C hiu T'ang-shu I89.5b. Ou-yang Hsiin's stylistic influence is clearly evident in extant Korean calligraphy dating to the Sung dynasty. For reproductions, see Im Ch'ang-sun, Han'guk misul chonjip (Seoul: Tonghua chwulpan kongsa, 1975) Vol. II, Pls. 25, 26, 28, 35. In Pl.37, the influence of Yii Shih-nan is discernible. 35 T'ang hui-yao 89.1623. 36 T'ang hui-yao 36.651. 37 Owen, Early T'ang p. 46. 195 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions backt o the T'angc apital,a ndw as recruitedto the post of Administratoirn the Princeo f Ch'in Office. At the capital,L i Shih-minw ageda powers trugglew ith the CrownP rinceL i Chien-ch'eng, to become the legitimateh eir-apparentto the throne. Throughh is many glorious military exploits,L i Shih-minw as able to establisha n impressivec orps of talentedo fficialst o serve in the posts under his jurisdiction. In the tenth month of 621, his position at the capital was greatly enhancedb y the foundingo f the Collegeo f LiteraryS tudies( Wen-hsiieKh uan),w hichs erveda s his privatec ouncil. Yii Shih-nana nd Ch'u Liangw ere among the 18 officialss elected to be scholarsi n the College of LiteraryS tudies,a positiont hey held concurrentlyw ith theiro ther offices.T hes upercessiono f thisC ollegeb y the Collegef ort heD evelopmenot f Literaturwe ould be one of the first acts taken by Li Shih-min upon becoming the second emperor of the T'ang dynasty. In 627, the great T'ang figure painter Yen Li-pen (d. 673) was commanded to paint the portraitso f eighteen scholarsi n the Prince of Ch'in's service, and Ch'u Liang wrote the eulogies.38A mong those included were the Record-room Secretaryo f the Prince of Ch'in, Yii Shih-nana, ndt he Professoro f ClassicalS tudies,C h'u Liang. It was duringt hese years in the service of the Princeo f Ch'int hatY ii Shih-nane stablished himselfa s the prince'sc onfidanti n matterso f calligraphya nd art.T herei s evidencei n Chang Yen-yiian'sL i-taim ing-huac hiw hichi ndicatest hatY ii Shih-nanw as alreadya ctinga t thist ime asi nspectoro f the prince'sa rtc ollection.M entioni s madeo f a colophono f the Princeo f Ch'in's Office datedt o the beginningo f the Wu-te era.a ccompaniedb y the signatureso f Hsieh Shou ('92-624),39 Ch'u Liang, and Yii Shih-nan40 By aligningt hemselves early with Li Shih-min, Yii Shih-nan,C h'u Liang, and Ch'u Sui-liangw ould come to occupy positions of confidence unequalledb y Ou-yangH siin. On the firsto f January 627. followingh is ascension to the throne, Li Shih-minp ropitiously proclaimedh is reign as the Chen-kuan or "TrueV ision" era (627-65o0) and ushered in a period of political,e conomic,a nd culturale fflorescenceu nparalleledin Chineseh istory. Indicativeo f the statuso f Ou-yangH siin andY ii Shih-nana t the courto f T'ai-tsunga ret he officialp ositionsa nd titles which they receiveda nd the scholarlyp rojectsi n which they were engaged. In the ninth month of 627, Ou-yang Hsiin becameO fficer in Chargeo f the Clepsydra, or water clock. Five years later he was enfeoffed as Baron of P'o-hai (the Gulf of Chih-i). In 637 he wasg ivent he titleo f GrandO fficero f the Cupa ndB oardw itht he ColorsS ilvera ndB lue.H e died in 64. at the age of eighty-four. In 63 , at the request of T'ai-tsung, Shih-nan,t ogether with Wei Cheng, Ch'u Liang, and Yii others, composed an examination of the merits and faults of previous rulers.41I n the eleventh month of 632, after having previously refused an appointment as Right Chief Secretaryo f the Heir-Apparent because of age, Yii Shih-nan was appointed Vice Director of the Imperial Library. In this same year, Yii Shih-nan, Ch'u Sui-liang, and others received an imperial command to go through and sort out the collection in the Inner Storehouse.W hen Yii retiredi n 38L i-tai ming-hua chi 9.269-27I, Acker, Vol. 2, pt. i, pp. 210o-i12.C oncerning Yen Li-pen's paintings, see note 54. 39L i-tai ming-hua chi 3.94, Acker, p. 220. 40L i-tai ming-hua chi 3.94, Acker, p. 221. 41 T'ang hui-yao 36.65I. I96 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 638, he was grantedt he title GrandO fficer of the Cup and Boardw ith the Colors Silvera nd Blue, in addition to the title of Scholar in the College for the Development of Literature.I n the fifth month of this year, he died at the age of 80. Yii Shih-nanw as posthumously givent he title Ministero f Ritesa nd named Wen-i. Arthur Wrighth as writtent hat, Afterh is deatht he emperorsa wh imi n a dreamK. nowingth ath is old friendh adb eena devout BuddhistT, 'ai-tsunpg raisedh imi n ane dicta ndo rderedth ata maigrefe astf or5 oom onksb eh eld anda Buddhisitm agem adef or the spirituabl enefito f his old friend.42 Wrightf urthern otes that "heh adY ii'sp ortraita ddedt o those of his rankinga dvisorsi n the Ling-yenk o."43 Yii Shih-nan'Bs uddhisti nclinationms ayb e seeni n his "AP refaceto theE ssayo n Destroying Evil" (P'o-hsieh lun hsii), composed and executed by the calligrapheri n small-standards cript (hsiao-k'ai),w hile still in the employ of the Prince of Ch'in.44 Yii wrote this prefacei n support of the Buddhistm onkF a-lin'sf amousp olemicP 'o-hsiehl un, in whichh e opposedK ao-tsu'sa nti- Buddhistp rogram.4A5 ccusedo f slanderingth e imperiall ineage,F a-linw as sentencedt o exile andd ied en route. T'ai-tsung's high esteem for his minister Yii Shih-nani s expressedi n a statementr ecordedi n Chang Huai-kuan'sS hu-tuan,i n which the emperorp raisedh im as one possessing "'five virtues':f aithfulnesst o the court, loyalty to his friends,w ide scholarlyi nterests,e legancei n literaryc ompositions,a nd excellencei n calligraphy."46 D. THE LAST YEARS Of the threem asterso f calligraphyin the courto f the earlyT 'ang,C h'uS ui-lianga chievedth e most prestigiouso ffice. His role in the culturea ndp oliticso f the reignso f T'ai-tsunga nd Kao- tsung was so central that it merits a detailed discussion. The brilliants uccesso f T'ai-tsunga s an effectiver ulerw as due in greatp artt o his unique relationshipw ith his ministersa nd the healthyp oliticalc limatet hati t fostered. Robert M. Som- ers has observed the following: T'ai-tsung... remained on something surprisingly close to equal terms with his high ministers, who were more his colleagues than the Emperor's servants. We possess extensive collections of T'ai- tsung's court discussions with his ministers, who advise him on every conceivable issue of high government policy, both civil and military. The Emperor, in turn, listens with care, asks further questions, solicits more information, considers options and alternatives. The tone is cautious and restrained. As often as the Emperor acted, so too did he frequently decide against action.47 42A rthur F. Wright, "T'ang T'ai-tsung and Buddhism," in Perspectives on the T'ang, eds. Wright and Twitchett (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1973) pp. 252-3. 43 Wright,p p. 252-3. SFor a reproduction, see Tseng Yu-ho Ecke, Chinese Calligraphy (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1970) Pl. iog. For Yii Shih-nan's preface, see Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo 52.475-5. 45 Wright, "T'ang T'ai-tsung and Buddhism," p. 246. 46 Fa-shu yao-lu 8.I 33, translated by Tseng Yu-ho Ecke, Pl. Tog. 47R obert M. Somers, "The Sui Legacy," in Wright, The Sui Dynasty, pp. 203-4. 197 This content downloaded on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:13:45 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions