Chu Suiliang (596 – 658 AD) (pronounced ‘choo sway-lee-ang’) was one of the most influential figures in Chinese calligraphy history.
He is remembered today as being:
- One of the four masters of regular script (楷书四大家)
- One of the four early Tang calligraphy masters (初唐四大家).
His work helped bring forth a new Tang dynasty calligraphy style.
Unfortunately, the end of his career was marred by his willingness to stick to his principles…
Contents
The late Sui and early Tang period
Chu was born during the Sui dynasty (581 – 618 AD).
This relatively short-lived dynasty unified the Chinese empire for the first time in nearly four centuries.
It laid the foundations for the glory of the Tang dynasty (618 – 960 AD), which appeared after a coup by a Sui general (the first Tang emperor: Gaozu (r. 618 – 626 AD).
The Tang ruling family were of non-Chinese (Xianbei) origin and the Tang empire consisted of many different ethnicities.
In order to be seen as legitimate rulers of the largely Han Chinese empire, the emperors stressed unity.
One way they did this was by overseeing the promoting of Han Chinese culture, including one essential element: calligraphy.
Biography
Family background and early life
Chǔ Suìliáng (褚遂良) was born in the city of Hangzhou (in today’s Zhejiang Province) to aristocratic family with roots in Henan Province.
(Chu himself would later be made Duke of Henan and would sometimes refer to himself as ‘Chu Henan’).
His father Chu Liang (褚亮) (560 – 647 AD) was a well-known scholar-official during the Chen, Sui, and Tang dynasties.
The family flourished in a cultured and well-connected aristocratic environment.
As a youth, the young Chu Suiliang received direct instruction from the great calligrapher and poet, Yu Shinan (558 – 638 AD).
(Yu, along with Ouyang Xun (557 – 641 AD) and Xue Ji (618 – 907 AD), made up the other three ‘four early Tang masters’ of calligraphy).
Career
Chu’s career got off to a great start. He rose through the ranks quickly and become the chief of the secretariat.
He became a favourite of the second Tang emperor, Taizong emperor (r. 626 – 649 AD).
(Many historians argue that Taizong was, with his father (Gaozu), a co-founder of the dynasty. Gaozu abdicated eight years into his reign).
Chu is said to have been able to talk relatively frankly with Taizong. This adhered to a famous Confucian principle of being honest with rulers.
This applied to artistic matters, too. Thanks to Chu’s expertise in calligraphy, he was said to have been useful for distinguishing genuine and forged calligraphic pieces.
子路问事君。子曰：“勿欺也而犯之。”
– Analects (14.22)
Zilu asked how to serve a prince. Confucius answered: “Tell him the truth, even if that offends him.”
This was particularly useful when it came to dealing with pieces related to Taizong’s favourite calligrapher was Wang Xizhi (303 – 361 AD).
In 629 AD, when Chu was only 33 years old, he was amongst those selected by the emperor to write the calligraphy for a stone memorial (also known as a stele) outside a temple.
He would often write for the emperor thereafter. Two decades later, Chu was one of the officials taking instructions from the dying emperor.
Later career: Under Gaozong Emperor (reigned 649 – 683 AD)
Gaozong’s reign was famously dominated by the rise of his concubine and second empress: Wu Zetian (624 – 705 AD).
They married a couple of years into Gaozong’s reign, in 651 AD.
Wu Zetian had previously been one of Taizong’s concubines.
The custom was for deceased emperors’ concubines to retire to monasteries. However, Taizong didn’t let this stop him.
Chu made the mistake of trying to dissuade Gaozong from this relationship. As a result, he was demoted and fell out of favour.
Unlike Taizong, Wu Zetian did not encourage honest conversation between monarchs and officials. By the end of her own reign, she had removed 80% of her ministers.
Eventually, Chu was sent into exile in Annan province (in today’s Vietnam).
Exile so far south was a harsh punishment that was used throughout imperial China.
He passed away there aged 63 and his family was forced to remain.
Not long after, Empress removed his official titles. It would be another 46 years before his name was officially rehabilitated.
Chu Suiliang’s calligraphy
Chu Suiliang is particularly famous for two scripts.
His standard script, which shows traces of clerical script. As does his running script – though no samples of this survive (just comments by contemporaries).
In his standard script, the influence of calligraphers such as Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, and Wang Xizhi are clear.
His style is often described as balanced between strong and gentle strokes.
Overall, his characters give the impression of having being written vigorously and swiftly yet elegantly.
They often feature idiosyncratic strokes that dexterously start, end, curve and or extend.
His work is preserved in ink rubbings of stone inscriptions.
Fortunately, the skill of inscribing in stone had advanced a lot by the Tang dynasty. So, they reflected the original writing more accurately than before.
Example piece: Preface to the Sacred Teaching at Wild Goose Pavilion
The Preface to the Sacred Teaching at Wild Goose Pavilion (雁塔圣教序) is a particularly well-known piece by Chu Suiliang.
Originally, there were two stone inscriptions: the Preface and the Record.
The latter was authored by the Gaozong Emperor. It detailed how his father, the Taizong Emperor, had come to work on the Preface.
Both pieces were inscribed in 653 AD – just a couple of years before Chu’s exile.
They are likely the last existing examples of his calligraphy.
Fortunately, even though monuments no longer survive, Song dynasty ink rubbings of them do.