Draft:Zeng Shaojie

Zeng Shaojie (1910–1988), born in Xiangxiang, Hunan, also known by the aliases Shaogong, Shaoweng, and the pseudonym Wanshijun. His studio was named Kunwu Room and Wanshi Hall. Graduating from the Department of Accounting at Shanghai Daxia University, he held various public positions and was a seal engraver, calligrapher, and art educator who migrated to Taiwan after the war.

Life

In China

During his time in China, Zeng Shaojie, originally named Zhaozheng, changed his name to Shaojie after the age of nineteen. Born in 1910 in Hetang Township, Xiangxiang, Hunan Province, he was the grandson of Zeng Chenghou, the fifth brother of Zeng Guofan. Zeng received education at a private school from a young age, learning classics, history, and classical Chinese under the guidance of Mr. Zeng Xiaoping. In 1924, he discovered a copy of the "Xiao Shishanfang Seal Manual" at home, which sparked his interest in seal engraving.

In 1927, Zeng went to study in Changsha, and in 1928, he attended the private Wuzhou Middle School in Nanjing, where he diligently practiced seal script alongside his studies. From 1932 to 1936, he studied in the Department of Accounting at Shanghai Daxia University. During this time, he visited the Xiling Seal Society in Hangzhou, where he purchased many seal manuals, inscriptions, and seal-making tools, enriching his resources for seal engraving. In 1937, with the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Zeng joined the military and served as the section chief of the Ministry of Military Affairs of the National Government in Chongqing. After the war ended in 1945, he transferred to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Despite the wartime duties, Zeng continued to diligently practice calligraphy and seal engraving and befriended notable figures such as Qiao Dazhuang and Jiang Weisong.

In Taiwan

Upon arriving in Taiwan in 1951, Zeng worked as a secretary for the Taiwan Power Company. In 1956, he published "The Seal Collection of Zeng Shaojie" and co-founded the "Haijiao Seal Collection" with Tao Shoubu, Wang Zhuangfa, and Wang Beiyue in 1962. In the same year, he was appointed as a professor at the Institute of Art at the Chinese Cultural College (now Chinese Culture University), teaching epigraphy. In 1971, for academic needs, Zeng selected works from "The Seal Collection of Zeng Shaojie" since 1956 and compiled them into the "Selected Works of Zeng Shaojie's Seal Engraving," consisting of twelve volumes. The following year (1973), he was awarded the Creative Award for Seal Engraving in the Zhongshan Literature and Art Awards. In 1976, Zeng retired from the Taiwan Power Company but continued to teach at the university.

At the age of seventy-two (in 1982), Zeng suffered from acute heart disease, which led to deteriorating health conditions in later years. In 1986, he developed cataracts due to diabetes, significantly reducing his ability to write and engrave. In 1982, he published his collected works in "Zeng Shaojie's Selected Works of Seal Engraving," and in 1984, at the invitation of the National Museum of History, he held the "Zeng Shaojie Calligraphy and Seal Engraving Retrospective Exhibition" and published "Selected Works of Zeng Shaojie's Four-Style Calligraphy." Zeng Shaojie passed away suddenly due to heart disease in Taipei in 1988.

Calligraphy

In his early study of calligraphy, Zeng initially learned the regular script from the Tang Dynasty master Ouyang Xun, and later studied the Northern Wei's "Zhang Menglong Stele". Upon delving into seal engraving, he recognized seal script as the foundation of engraving and began collecting and imitating seal script inscriptions and calligraphic works by renowned masters. He also practiced imitating the works of Su Dongpo and various Han Dynasty inscriptions, while studying the brush techniques of Huang Shangu. In 1943, Zeng participated in a calligraphy exhibition in Chongqing alongside Shen Yinmo, Zeng Keduan, Qiao Dazhuang, Pan Boying, and others. In 1959, he co-founded the "Ten Calligraphers Group" with Chen Dingshan, Wang Zhuangwei, Fu Juanfu, Zhang Longyan, Ding Nianxian, Chen Zihe, and Zhu Long'an, showcasing their works domestically and internationally. Additionally, Zeng, along with Wang Zhuangwei and Zhang Longyan, held joint calligraphy exhibitions in Europe and the United States, receiving acclaim. His calligraphy works display a steady, classical style, characterized by a strict and orderly composition across various script types.

Seal Engraving

Zeng began learning seal script at the age of 10, initially studying under Wu Dacheng and later under Zhao Zhiqian and Huang Mufu. At the age of 14, he started learning seal engraving, using the "Xiao Shi Shan Fang Seal Manual" from his family collection as a model. With a small brush and red sand, he meticulously practiced engraving on paper. By the age of 18, he had purchased various seal script collections from Taozhai and other sources in Changsha, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou's Xiling Seal Art Society. At 28, while residing in Chongqing, he engaged in discussions on characters and seals with Qiao Dazhuang and his disciple Jiang Weisong, staying in adjacent rooms at the Youth Association. After turning 40, he devoted himself to creating seals in the style of the Yuan and Ming dynasties, also incorporating elements from Tang and Song official seals. In his later years, he also frequently crafted ancient seals. Many prominent political and cultural figures in Taiwan post-war era possessed seals made by Zeng, including Chiang Kai-shek, Soong Mei-ling, Sun Ke, Yeh Kung-chao, Zhang Qun, Sun Yunxuan, Chang Dai-chien, Pu Xinyu, Liu Yantao, among others.

Awards

In 1973, Zeng received the Creation Award from the Sun Yat-sen Academic and Cultural Foundation.

References

Category:WikiProject Taiwan 1000 Draft