Qi Gong

Qi Gong (1912–2005), courtesy name Yuanbai, of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was a native of Beijing. A renowned calligrapher and painter, educator, scholar of classical literature, connoisseur of cultural relics, and poet, he was a professor and doctoral supervisor at Beijing Normal University. He served as director of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History, chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, chairman of the National Cultural Relics Authentication Committee, and a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He devoted himself to the study of classical literature, language, and writing, and authored works including Collected Essays of Qi Gong and On Ancient Chinese Scripts. His writing combines scholarly rigor with a lucid, refined style, discussing calligraphy and painting and tracing the origins of Chinese characters in an accessible way. Eight of his works are included here, spanning history, classical literature, art, language, and documentary writing—ranging from oral history and lecture records to essays on painting and calligraphy and reminiscences of Qi Baishi—revealing both his learning and his character.