Friendship is like mellow old wine
Interaction with Mr. Shen Peng.
Qiao Renhe. On the evening of January 21, 2022, I received a call from Mr. Shen Peng, which was really unexpected. Because Mr. Shen is old, it is inconvenient for me to always disturb him, so although we have not had many opportunities to meet each other over the years, we have been thinking about him. In **, Mr. Shen said, "I told my family during dinner that I was going to call Xiao Qiao" I was happy when I heard it, I was 74 years old, and Mr. Shen also called me "Little Qiao". In **, we talked about a lot of past events, especially the bits and pieces of the work with the China Calligraphy Association since we met him, these past events, more than 30 years in a flash, time is really like a white horse.
After receiving Mr. Shen**, after thinking about it, I decided to write a letter to him to express my feelings and send New Year blessings. On the morning of the Lantern Festival in 2022, Zhang Jing, a staff member beside Mr. Shen, called me ** and informed me that Mr. Shen had written a reply to me on the sixth day of the first lunar month, and he would express it to me immediately. That night, the courier brother delivered Mr. Shen's reply to me. I couldn't wait to open the envelope – in addition to Mr. Shen's reply, there was also a collection of his solo exhibition at the National Art Museum of China last year, and some newspapers and periodicals. On the day of the Lantern Festival, I was naturally very excited to receive Mr. Shen's reply to me.
The two unique poems and books are perfectly combined
In his reply, Mr. Shen wrote, "I have not stopped writing and writing poetry, but the number is much less." These are Mr. Shen's humble words. On weekdays, I read his poetry collections of "Sanyu Yincao", "Sanyu Continued Yin", "Sanyu Re-Yin" and "Sanyu Changyin", and I deeply feel that the achievements of his poetry and calligraphy go hand in hand, melting with each other, and forming his unique "poetry book" - writing poems and entering books with poems. Today, in the era of reading pictures, Mr. Shen is still intoxicated with the scrutiny of sentence reading, and sings with poetry and rhyme, which is not only the style of ancient sages, but also the way of life of modern intellectuals who carry the Tao with literature.
Although time flies and Mr. Shen is also beyond the age of mackerel, he is still fighting on the front line for the inheritance and development of Chinese calligraphy. In the spring of 2021, Mr. Shen held the National Art Museum of China (NAMC) at the Shen Peng Poetry and Calligraphy Exhibition, which is an annual event in the world of calligraphyThe book not only has the atmosphere of the times, but also shows a strong personality, which is really the "masterpiece" of the book. The combination of the two unique poems and books fully demonstrates his dedication to learning, self-cultivation, advocating virtue and art, and promoting post-learning.
Although he did not attend the opening ceremony in person, the "opening remarks" delivered at the opening ceremony have become a topic of conversation in the book world. I specially found the full text from the Internet, printed a copy, and asked Mr. Shen to sign it for a commemorative collection. Unexpectedly, on the sixth day of the first month of Renyin, Mr. Shen inscribed on the "Opening Statement" I printed: "Last year's 'It's Not Too Late to Hear the Tao' exhibition, I was unable to attend in person due to physical reasons. Ren Hejun is a person with a heart, and he found the 'opening words', and asked me to read a few words. This is a remark that should be left forever. ”
Qiao Renhe and Mr. Shen Peng (left) took a group photo
Although I have not met Shen Shengsheng much in the past few years, I have always paid attention to his creation. On the eve of the Spring Festival this year, Mr. Shen was invited by his hometown Jiangyin, Jiangsu, to write and write a huge Spring Festival couplet enlarged to five metersHeaven and earth welcome spring, and Jiangcheng melts into the world". I enjoyed this couplet hanging in the Jiangyin Dynasty sect on the Internet, it is really full of vitality, its fugue pen walking, elegant air rushing to the face, showing that he does not forget his hometown, do not forget the original intention, can be described as a cultural gift to Jiangyin's father in the Year of the Tiger - on the way to give back to the society and popularize aesthetic education, Mr. Shen, who is over 90 years old, keeps walking. From this five-meter-long masterpiece, it can also be seen that Mr. Shen's pen strength and health are healthy, which is a great comfort to us old acquaintances, which is also a blessing in the contemporary book world.
The road is blue, all the way forward
Mr. Shen's Spring Festival letter and ** evoked a lot of memories for me. I have known Mr. Shen for more than 30 years since I was transferred to the China Calligraphy Association in 1986, and I have accompanied him to many places to visit, research, and collect styles. In particular, Mr. Shen gave me a lot of encouragement and help in the process of editing and publishing the two books "Pen and Ink Love: My Friendship with Everyone and Old Friends in the Book World" and "Pen and Ink Love: The Friendship of Ren and Fushun".
Mr. Shen can be said to be a witness to the development of the China Calligraphy Association from preparation to establishment and all the way to the development of the Chinese Calligraphy Association, he has served as the vice chairman, acting chairman and chairman of the China Calligraphy Association, he has been responsible for the editing and reviewing work of the People's Fine Arts Publishing House for a long time, and at the same time, he has dedicated the precious years of his life to the China Calligraphy Association. The hardships and joys of it cannot be said by those who have not experienced it. In my opinion, Mr. Shen attaches the most importance to the unity among the members of the presidium of the Calligraphy Association, advocates the inclusiveness and openness of academic thought, and puts forward the concept of sustainable development of calligraphy and implements it.
Receiving a letter from Mr. Shen during the Chinese New Year reminds me of a letter sent to me by Mr. Shen on New Year's Day in 2018. With the support of many calligraphers, painters and friends, "The Love of Brush and Ink: My Friendship with Everyone and Old Friends in the Book World" was successfully published at the end of 2017. He is not only a calligrapher, but also an editor and publisher, and it is indeed not easy to get his approval. To my surprise, at the beginning of the new year, I received a reply from Mr. Shen: "Today is the first day of the new year, and I have just started writing, so I wrote this letter. "At the beginning of the new year, I received a letter of encouragement from Mr. Shen, and I think this is the best New Year's gift of the year.
In the letter, Mr. Shen also made a special mention of the small note I posted in the key passages of the book, and he wrote: "Show your seriousness and love. It also shows Mr. Shen's carefulness and sensitivity as a senior editor. He also said in the letter: "The receipt of the masterpiece "Pen and Ink Love" shows your deep feelings for old friends in the calligraphy world and calligraphy career. Huairen and Weihe are really well-deserved. (pictured).
In 2018, Mr. Shen Peng replied to Qiao Renhe
Brother Renhe:
Receiving the masterpiece "Pen and Ink Love" shows that you have a deep affection for your old friends in the calligraphy world and the calligraphy career. Huairen and Weihe are really well-deserved. The orange strip in the book shows your seriousness and love. Today is the first day of the new year, and I am writing this letter as soon as I start writing.
Best wishes for the New Year!This is the case in all the provinces.
Shen Peng
Noon on January 1, 2018
Paper is short and mellow, as mellow as wine
In the reply, Mr. Shen said, "You have a deep affection for the association", and told me to "please greet the old comrades on my behalf when you see them (more and less)". Mr. Shen is a very serious person in his work, but also very easy-going and affectionate in life, and he often cares for everyone he knows like a brother, which also reminds me of the friendship between my colleagues who get along with me day and night when I work in the China Calligraphy Association.
The China Calligraphy Association is the unit where I have worked for the longest time, and naturally I will never forget it. Although I was still working in a wooden room when I was working in the China Calligraphy Association, and many of my colleagues were both staff members of the association and calligraphers, we all had no complaints about the material difficulties, and we shared weal and woe and used our own strength to contribute to the cause of Chinese calligraphy in our respective posts. At work, colleagues live in harmony, trust each other, help each other, and cooperate tacitly. Whenever I look back on the past, I always remember it vividly and will never forget. Whether I left the China Calligraphy Association to work in the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, or in the days after my retirement, I have always maintained close contact with you and continued this relationship and love. There must be concern from Mr. Shen, just like when the new crown epidemic was at its most severe, Mr. Shen wrote books such as "Come on China" and "Come on Wuhan" for the society, and at the same time, he also called ** for our old friends, reminding us to pay attention to safety and strengthen epidemic prevention. Every time I think about it now, it warms my whole body.
I think the happiest thing in life is to have good memories. Just as Mr. Shen must read every letter, he once said, "The main thing is to understand the recent situation of friends and the requirements of calligraphy lovers, so no matter how many letters there are, I have to read them, and it is my responsibility to reply to them." I often read the many letters he sent to me repeatedly, and felt the perseverance and enthusiasm of Mr. Shen in replying to the letters.