Yuanjing Sheng: Regular Script (Kai Shu/楷书）

ARTIST: Yuangjing Sheng

This piece of artwork is an original creation by Sheng.

This verse is from Bao Zhao's "Eighteen Stanzas on Simulated Difficulty in Travel,"/(拟行路难十八首) a work from the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It conveys the idea:

"I'd rather be a pair of wild ducks in the fields, supporting each other,
Than be a solitary crane in the clouds, separated from its mate."

These lines metaphorically express a preference for a modest and mutually supportive life, likened to wild ducks on the ground, over a wealthy but solitary existence, symbolized by a crane soaring in the clouds. The poet implies a choice for companionship and modesty over wealth and solitude.

Shen is a pioneering figure in contemporary Chinese calligraphy highly esteemed by prominent Chinese painting and calligraphy auction houses. As a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, Committee Member of the Kaishu Commission of Yunnan Calligraphers Association, and Society Member of Jinghua Seal Society, Sheng brings a wealth of expertise to his craft. Currently based in Kunming and teaching at Yunnan University, he has previously served as a judge for national calligraphy competitions. With numerous awards and over a hundred exhibitions in national competitions, Sheng specializes in the imitation and creation of the five script styles (seal, clerical, cursive, running, regular), as well as the imitation and creation of ancient seals, Qin and Han dynasty seals, and various school styles. Additionally, he conducts research on calligraphy history, calligraphy appreciation, and calligraphy aesthetics.