Tsue Ta Tee 崔大地

Tsue Da Tee (Cui Dadi, 1903 – 1974) was born in Beijing and trained as a teacher. However, he believed that life is about living and living is experiencing, so he left China in 1937 to travel extensively in the Southeast Asian countries and eventually settled in Singapore in 1946.

Since young, he developed a strong liking for the Chinese calligraphy and practiced extensively various calligraphic styles. His constant search for knowledge led him to visit London in 1953. While there he found the opportunity to do research in Chinese calligraphy, especially the oracle bone inscriptions at the British Museum. He also held several calligraphy exhibitions in London and Paris.He left London in 1958 and headed for Penang where he spent several years to focus on refining his calligraphic skills. While he did not teach calligraphy in Penang, he had definitely left a mark there. Today, inscribed sign-boards with calligraphy written by him can still be seen at many places in Penang. In 1965, he finally returned to Singapore and devoted the rest of his time to teaching and promotion of the Chinese calligraphy. He was the volunteer calligraphy teacher of the Calligraphy Society of the Hua Yi Secondary School. He also held many exhibitions of his works in Singapore and Malaysia.

In his teaching of Chinese calligraphy, it was almost a rule to start with the Wei stele, followed by zhuan (official seal style), kai (regular) and then walking and cursive styles. All the work books were appropriately selected by him for students according to their progress in learning, personality and character. In this way, the students could fully develop their own potentials and characteristics.

To many of those who are followers of the art of Chinese Calligraphy in Singapore and the surrounding region, the mention of Tsue Da Tee evokes deep respect and admiration for a man who was well known for his calligraphy.

He was one of those rare calligraphers in Singapore and Malaysia who were skilful in many calligraphic styles, such as kai (regular), li (clerical), cao (cursive), zhuan (official seal), bronze and oracle bone inscriptions. In addition, he was not afraid of experimenting and opening new grounds in the calligraphic art. His beautiful and controlled brushwork – the dense sweeping strokes bearing the characteristic twists and turns – were skilfully executed with intent to express the underlying meaning and emotion of each character or form. He was truly a prolific artist and his works are noted for their vitality, strength, grace and beauty.

Some of his students who are well known calligraphers in Singapore include Yong Cheong Thye (Yang Changtai) and Goh Yan Kee (Wu Yaoji).

It is rare to find someone in Singapore who earned his living as a professional calligrapher, and Tsue was one. It is a pity that his works are not systematically studied and preserved.

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崔大地（1903-1974）出生于北京，是一名受训教师。然而，他相信生命就是生活，生活就是体验，所以他于1937年离开了中国，尽情游览东南亚各国，并于1946年来到新加坡。

从小就喜欢书法，并广学各体书法。对追求知识的痴迷，使他于1953年又踏上了伦敦之途。在那里他找到了机会在大英博物院研究书法，尤其是甲骨文。他也在伦敦与巴黎举办了不少书法展览会。

他于1958年离开伦敦，前往槟城，勤练书法。在槟城期间，他并没有收学生，但那里肯定在留下了他的书法痕迹。今天，他写的招牌匾额，在槟城还是随时可见。1965年，他终于回到新加坡定居，把剩余的时间放在书法教学与推广上面。他担任过华义中学书法会的义务书法导师。他也在新马举办了不少的书法展。

崔先生教导学生时，多数先学隶书，然后学魏碑、篆书、楷书及行草各种书体。学生所临摹的碑帖，都是经过精心挑选，并依个别学生的进度、性格与风格作适当的选择。因此，学生们都能各自发挥己长，发展自己的个人风格。

对那些关注新加坡与这一地区书法发展的人来说，提到崔大地的书法，必然令人肃然起敬。

在新马，他是少数精通各体书法的书法家之一，楷、隶、草、篆、钟鼎文、甲骨文，样样皆精。同时，他也不怕进行新的尝试，为书法开辟新道路。他美丽而又控制的书法线条，具有特色的扭与转，熟练地表达了每一个字与形式所要透露的意思与情感。他是个多产的书家，作品有活力刚强、优雅美丽。

他的一些学生如今在书法界有名气的包括：杨昌泰与吴耀基。

在新加坡，以书法为生的专业书法家不多见。崔大地就是这样的一个。很可惜他的书法没有被有系统的整理与学习。

Zhi Yong: A News Maker? 智永：炒作大王？

Zhi Yong was a descendent of Wang Xizhi, the sage of Chinese calligraphy. He had in his possession many original works of Wang, including the ‘Preface to the Lanting Collection of Poems’ (Lan Ting Xu), which is reputed to be the best walking script in the calligraphy history. Naturally, he practiced diligently from this masterpiece, as well as from Wang Xizhi’s other works.

Zhang Huai Guan, the famous calligraphy theoretician told a number of stories about Zhi Yong in his book entitled ‘Judging Calligraphy’.

It was said that Zhi Yong lived and practiced calligraphy in Yongxin Temple for more than 30 years. He spent many hours every day at his calligraphy so that he used up many brushes. When the brushes became unusable or ‘bald’ with the hairs worn down to the holder, he just tossed them into a large bamboo basket. Over the years, Zhi Yong filled up ten of these baskets. Later he buried them together at a place which was later known as the ‘Brush Tomb’, as if the brushes were heroic soldiers who had fallen on the battlefield.

His skill as a calligrapher brought him fame and the demand for his calligraphy was great. His was best at writing the cursive style (choshu), which was known for being smooth and beautiful, moist yet vigorous. So great was his fame his house was always full of people who came to ask for his calligraphic works. The situation was so bad that his doorway or the threshold was damaged with deep hole by crush of people, so he had to cover it with iron sheets and bars. Zhi Yong’s nickname thus became ‘The Iron Threshold’.

However, there are those who believe that all these were some of his deliberate news-making shows aim to make him famous. If that is the case, Zhi Yong probably is one of the most successful new-makers in the history of Chinese calligraphy.

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智永是书圣王羲之之后人。他拥有王羲之不少书法原作，包括被称为天下第一行书的《兰亭序》。很自然的，他很用功学习这幅帖与王羲之的其他法帖。

著名书法理论家张怀瓘在他的《书断》中就讲到智永的故事。

据说智永在永欣寺住了三十多年，一直学书法。他每天花很多时间写书法，用了很多毛笔。当毛笔不能用，或笔毛脱落到笔杆时，它就顺手丢在大竹篮里。长年累积了十大篮。后来他把它们埋葬了，犹如它们是在战场上牺牲了的英勇战士。这就是后来叫的‘退笔冢’。

他的书法给他带来了名誉，对他书法的需求也就很高。他最擅长于草书。他的草书流畅而优美，润滑而强劲。向他要字的人多到每天他的家都充满了来求字的人。情况坏到他家的门槛都被挤出了洞来，需要用铁片来盖住。所以智永又被称为‘铁门槛’。

但是，也有人认为以上都是智永炒作或做秀之举，以使自己成名。如果是这样，智永可以说是中国书法史上最有成功的炒作大王了。

以下是《书断》里的原文：

永公住吴兴永欣寺， 积年学书，后有秃笔头十瓮，每瓮皆数石。人来觅书并请题额者如市。所居户限 为之穿穴，乃用铁叶裹之。人谓为“铁门限”。后取笔头瘗之，号为“退笔冢”。

Zhi Yong Popularised the Thousand-Character Essay 智永推广《千字文》

Zhi Yong’s famous calligraphic work is ‘The Thousand-Character Essay in Regular and Cursive Scripts’ (Zhencao Qianziwen). As the title implied, it was written in both regular and cursive scripts. A copy of it is now kept in Japan. The copy is said to be an authentic copy. However, some suggested that it was actually written by someone in the Tang dynasty. Another rubbing copy is now collected by Beijing Palace Museum.

The ‘Thousand Character Essay’ was reportedly composed on the order of the Liang dynasty emperor Wudi (464-549) as a form of instruction in calligraphy for his princes. Rubbings were made from works by the master calligrapher Wang Xizhi in the imperial collection to compile a list of one thousand non-repeating characters. Zhou Xingsi (?-521) was then ordered to put them to rhyme, creating lines of four characters each. The contents of the essay touch on a variety of subjects, including nature, society, history, and ethics.

Since all the characters are unique and of appropriate length (as well as familiar and popular among readers), the Qianziwen became a primary choice of text among learners of calligraphy and this turn motivated calligraphers to create model books for study, resulted in many great transcriptions of this text.

Copied and written in various calligraphic forms innumerable times through the ages, the Qianziwen became an important part of mainstream calligraphy. Consequently, almost all renowned calligraphers through the centuries made transcriptions, turning the text into a unique cultural phenomenon in the history of Chinese calligraphy.

The Qianziwen calligraphic textbook was originally intended for the exclusive use of the imperial family. It was Zhiyong who made it available to the common people. Zhi Yong spent more than 30 years to write more than thousand copies of the essay in calligraphy and selected 800 copies for distributing to all the Buddhist temples and monasteries in eastern China. Before long, recitations of the textbook could be heard throughout China.

Some were passed to Korea and Japan and had a significant influence on the development of calligraphy in these countries. In the 19 century, copies of the essay even made their way to Europe in the hands of French and English visitors to China.

This has ensured that Zhi Yong is remembered in the Chinese calligraphy history.

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智永的书法传世作品为《真草千字文》。如帖名所示，它是以楷书与草书学的。现传世的有墨迹本为日本所藏，论者认为墨迹本为智永真迹，也有人疑为唐人临本。另有拓本为故宫博物院藏。

据说，《千字文》是梁武帝（464-549）梁武帝下令在宫中收藏的大书法家王羲之书法拓本中取出不重复的一千个字，供皇子们学书用的。周兴嗣被令为这千字编为四字韵文。它的内容取材广阔，包括了自然、社会、历史及道德等等。

由于没有一个字重复，长度适当（加上该文广为人知与流行），《千字文》成为书法爱好者用来学习书法的第一选择，并由此鼓舞了书法家书写更多法帖。

经过历代无数人的临摹与用不同书体来书写，《千字文》成为书法重要主流。历代许多大书法家都有书写，因而在书法历史上形成了一个独特的文化现象。

《千字文》原本是皇家独用的书法练习本。智永把它带到普通人民的手中。智永花了超过三十年的时间写了千多本《千字文》并从中选了八百本分赠给中国东部的寺庙与僧院。不久，咏诵该文就遍及全国。

有一些书法本还传到了朝鲜与日本，重要地影响了书法在这些国家的发展。在十九世纪，这些书法还经过来访中国的法国与英国人带到了欧洲。

这就确定了智永在书法史里为世人所知。

Zhi Yong 智永

In Chinese history, the Qin and Han dynasties witnessed the most dramatic change of Chinese writing system. However, it was during the period of Wei, Jin and Southern & Northern dynasties that the prominence was given to the development of calligraphy. This period is defined by modern calligraphers as ‘the establishing period of Chinese calligraphy’.

Fast forwarded to Sui dynasty that was founded in 581 AD. During this period, the society flourished in every aspect, including calligraphy. However, calligraphy of the Sui dynasty, represented by Zhi Yong, was really just a transition from one high point in Wei Jin dynasties to another in Tang dynasty.

Zhi Yong, also name Faji, was born in Huiji (now Shaoxing in Zhejiang). His family name was Wang, and according to the records of some ancient books, he was the seventh-generation descendent of Wang Xizhi, the sage of calligraphy. His birth year was unknown. He first became a monk in Yongxin Temple and moved to Ximing Temple in Chang-an later. Yongxin Temple was originally the residence of Wang Xizhi, was converted to a temple for unknown reason. When it was converted, it was called Yunmen Temple.

Zhi Yong’s calligraphic works were first known by people in the Chen period (557 – 589) of the Southern Dynasties and became very famous in the Sui dynasty. So his calligraphy is considered to be part of Sui calligraphy. He was also famed by his student, Yu Shinan, a great calligrapher in Tang Dynasty.

Zhi Yong became a monk when he was very young and lived a seclude life in Yongxing Temple for 30 years. During that period, he got up early every morning and prepared a large grail of calligraphy ink to practice in Wang Xizhi’s model calligraphic works. He was good at regular script and cursive script. His work in regular script was brisk and yet precise, and his cursive style was free and firm.

His famous calligraphic work is ‘The Thousand-Character Essay in Regular and Cursive Scripts’ (Zhencao Qianziwen). It is said to be a piece from heaven, and is widely used by calligraphy learners as a model book.

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中国的历史里，中文在秦汉的改变最大。但是，书法在魏晋南北朝时的发展最为显著。现代书法家把这个时期称为‘书法的建立时期’。

隋朝于公元581年建立。这个时期，社会各方面都很发达，包括书法。但是，以智永为代表的书法在隋朝其实是由魏晋的一个高峰到唐朝的另一个高峰的过渡期。

智永又名法极，生于会稽（今浙江绍兴）。他俗性王，据古书记载，是书圣王羲之的第七代孙。他的生年不详。开始在永欣寺出家为和尚，后来到长安的西明寺。永欣寺原为王羲之旧宅，后不知为何改成寺庙，当时称云门寺。

智永的书法在南朝之陈代（557-589）就有所闻，到了隋朝就更加著名了。所以他的书法就放入隋朝来叙述。他的书法还靠他的学生虞世南而闻名。虞世南是唐代大书法家。

智永从小就出家为僧，在永欣寺过了30年出家人的生活。这期间，他每天很早就起身，磨了一大盘墨，临写王羲之的字帖。他擅长真草二体。真书活泼严谨，草书自由沉稳。

他有名的书法作品为‘真草千字文’，被誉为‘神妙之作’，为历代书法爱好者所临摹的书法范本。