Songxuezhaiji is a calligraphy work by Zhao Mengfu.
Zhao Mengfu, whose courtesy name was Ziang and also known as Songxue Taoist, was from Huzhou, Zhejiang. Zhao Kuangyin, the eleventh generation grandson of Song Taizu, used his father's influence to supplement his official position when he was fourteen years old. At the age of nineteen, he was admitted to the Chinese Imperial College and was admitted to Zhenzhou Sihu to join the army. After the death of Song Dynasty, he lived in the countryside and studied hard. In the 23rd year of the Yuan Dynasty (1286), Cheng Jufu, the imperial censor who traveled to Taiwan, was ordered to search for Yiyi in the south of the Yangtze River. Zhao Mengfu was recommended, and the following year he was awarded the title of Doctor of Training and Doctor of the Ministry of War.
In the twenty-seventh year of Yuan Dynasty, he was promoted to Bachelor of Jixianzhi and Fengyi doctor. In the 29th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1292), he entered the imperial court as a senior official and became a Tongzhi Jinan Road general in charge of government affairs. From then on, his official career was prosperous, and he served in the five dynasties of Yuan Shizu, Yuan Chengzong, Yuan Wuzong, Yuan Renzong and Yuan Yingzong. Although Zhao Mengfu had a prominent position, because his position was similar to that of a literary attendant, he did not do much in politics.
Zhao Mengfu’s achievements
In addition to being an official, Zhao Mengfu also has the status of an artist. Zhao Mengfu was involved in calligraphy, painting, poetry and other fields. In terms of painting, Zhao Mengfu is good at landscapes, figures, flowers and birds, and is a pioneer of literati paintings in the Yuan Dynasty. His handed down works include "Romance to the Goddess of Luo" and "Picture of a Man and a Horse".
Zhao Mengfu is good at official script, cursive script, regular script and running script. He created the "Zhao style" script and is known as the "four masters of regular script" together with Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan. His handed down works include "Six-Titan Thousand-Character Essay" "The Story of Miaoyan Temple". Zhao Mengfu was also good at writing poems and essays, and his main works include "Song Xuezhai Collected Works".