Ji Zhi Wen Gao: The Second Best Walking Script in the World 季侄文稿：天下第二行书

Ji Zhi Wen Gao (Funeral Address for Nephew Ji-ming) is written by Yan Zhenqing (709-785), a leading calligrapher of the Tang dynasty. It is said to be ‘the Second Best Walking Script in the World’.
Yan Zhenqing is popularly held as the only calligrapher who paralleled Wang Xizhi, the ‘Calligraphy Sage.’ He specialized in Kai Script and Cao Script, though he also mastered other writings well. His Yan-style of Kai Script, which brought Chinese calligraphy to a new realm, emphasized on stable strength, boldness and grandness. Because of his achievement in the Kai style, his Kai style calligraphy is known as the Yan-style.
Like most of the master calligraphers, Yan Zhenqing learned his skill from various calligraphers. Yan started by learning Chu Suiliang's calligraphy and later, he learned from Zhang Xu who is well known for his Cao style.
In 755, An Lushan, a military leader launched a revolt against the Tang dynasty. Yan’s brother Gaoqing and nephew Jiming were captured and killed by An Lushan cruelly. When Yan Zhenqing heard the news, he was filled with grief and indignation and he wrote a funeral oration for his brother and nephew. The draft of this oration is the famous Ji Zhi Wen Gao.
One can read and feel from the calligraphy that an intense emotion of sadness seems to break forth from the tip of his brush and this has led to the emotion expressed uncontrollably that grief and indignation appear naturally between the lines.
It is said that this master piece is the second best walking style calligraphy after Wang Xizhi’s Lan Ting Xu. However, it is obvious that the style of Lan Ting Xu is totally different from that of Ji Zhi Wen Gao. It's hard to say which one is the best, which one is the second best. Maybe we should say both are equally good.
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‘季侄文稿’是唐代大书法家颜真卿 (709-785) 所写的。被誉为‘天下第二行书’。
颜真卿的书法一般与书圣王羲之同列。他最精于楷书与草书，虽然他的其他书体也写得很好。他的楷书，把中国书法带入了一个心的境界，强调稳重有力、果断与宏大气势。由于他对楷书的贡献，在书法上，他的楷体被称为颜体。
和大多数的书法名家一样，颜真卿跟不少名书法家学他们的笔法。他开始学褚遂良，后来跟草圣张旭学。
公元755年，安禄山起兵反唐。颜真卿的个个杲卿与侄儿季明被安禄山所捕并惨遭杀害。当颜真卿听到消息，他的内心充满了悲伤与激愤，并为哥哥与侄儿写了祭文。这就是著名的‘季侄文稿’。
从这幅书法，我们可以读出与感觉到一种深沉的悲哀情感由笔尖自然流露，导致无法控制的感情表现出的哀情与激愤自然地显现于线条之间。有人说这是王羲之‘兰亭序’后第二好的行书。可是，很明显的，‘季侄文稿’的书写风格完全不同于‘兰亭序’，所以很难说那一幅最好，那一幅第二。或者可以说两幅都好。