The naughty boy who became a calligraphy master
Some of Dai Xiaojing's work on show at the Liu Haisu Art Museum
Dai incorporated his understanding of culture and art into his calligraphy.
The exhibition "Tranquil Triumphs: Embracing Life's Journey — Retrospective Journey of Dai Xiaojing's Calligraphy" is on show at Liu Haisu Art Museum through May 12.
Dai (1952-2022) is one of the representatives of Shanghai-Style calligraphy.
Organized by Shanghai Calligraphers Association and Liu Haisu Art Museum, the exhibition of Dai's work created in the past five decades commemorates his outstanding artistic achievements.
Dai's calligraphy not only demonstrates his skill and unique artistic style, but also conveys the richness of Chinese culture and the spirit of the times.
His relationship with calligraphy began in the early 1960s. A naughty little boy, Dai's parents sent him to calligraphy lessons in the hope of quietening him down. Xu Boqing (1926-2010), a Chinese calligraphy master, was his teacher. But Xu's training was so strict that Dai later called it "the devilish training" as he had to write 300 small seal characters a day. Yet such hard practice laid a solid foundation for Dai.
He was admitted to the Chinese department of Sun Yat-sen University in 1977 to focus on theoretical studies in literature, history and philosophy.
For years, Dai was "writing his understanding of culture and art" into calligraphy.
"The world is so big, and there are so many things in the world that one person can never have it all. But when I have calligraphy, I have the world," he once said.
If you go:
Date: Through May 12 (closed on Mondays), 9am–5pm
Venue: Liu Haisu Art Museum
Address: 1609 Yan'an Rd W
延安西路1609号
