Shi Kefa calligraphy

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Shi Kefa (Chinese: 史可法, 1601—1645) was a late Ming general and calligrapher, most well known for his armed resistance to the 17th century Manchu Qing forces and the siege of Yangzhou.

Shi was from Xiangfu in present day Kaifeng, Henan. His courtesy name was Xianzhi (宪之) and his pen name was Daolin (道邻). He passed the Jinshi examination in 1628. After various official appointments Shi was made the head of the Ministry of War for Yangzhou when the Manchu forces arrived in 1643, rising subsequently to national prominence. Shi perished after the fall of Yangzhou in 1645 at the age of 45. The body of Shi was never recovered resulting in repeated claims that the general still lived and led an anti-Manchu rebellion.

However in the subsequent Qianlong period, he was given a posthumous title and his collected writings were published from papers collected somewhat earlier. In 1984, his biography and edited writings were published in Shanghai. Shi was said to have been an individual of great energy and integrity, qualities reflected in his calligraphy, frequently in cursive and semi-cursive style. Shi's calligraphy is very much in the late Ming period style among other Ming literati with a preference for long compositions in a flourishing manner. Cursive calligraphy especially allowed for a free expression in a deviation from strict classical standards.

[edit] References

• Arthur W. Hummel, Sr., ed., Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing Period, Library of Congress, Washington, 1943, pp. 651-652.
• Yu Lianhua, Encyclopedia of Chinese Artists,Shanghai, 1980, p. 157.
• The Great Encyclopedia of China, Chinese History, vol. 2, pp. 937-938.