The Vigorous,Forceful,Extensiveand Profound Styleof Calligraphy——Kang Wanli,Inheritance of Beipai Kangti Calligraphy

CHE Wan-li

（Qingdao University Music Department,Qingdao Shandong 266071，China)

If you search Kang Wanli in Baidu there will be lots of introductions and Videos about this man’s life experiences and art achievement.His works are regarded as “the spring mornings”，“strong wind”and are known as Beipai Kangti calligraphy.It is a superb collection of beautiful things,too many to be attended all.Kang Wanli also known as Pengcheng,pseudonym Zhoushi,is the only successor of Beipai Kangti calligraphy.Beipai calligraphy,different from Nanpai calligraphy,is known in China as its rough,bold,thick and pungent style.His works have been collected in more than 20 art museums all over the world.He often attends international academic communication events.He is known as Honorary president of Chinese art workers association，Honorary president of Chinese Contemporary Art Association，the People’s Artist in 2009 and The New China Painter.

Kang Wanli thinks the solid basic skills are essential.He learns much from Chinese culture.He thinks the culture among the people is very precious and tries a lot to involve it into his daily painting practice.He also learns much from other painters and painting lovers about how to move the pens and splash the ink.In fact,his achievements are closely related with his family background and life experience.Besides that,he himself always studies very hard.

Kang Wanli’s father Kang Wuxue is the famous calligrapher in Gansu province.Kang Wuxue devotes himself to Chinese calligraphy innovation.He studies hard from the famous calligraphers in history.And he creates boldly and practice hard.He communicates frequently with Shen Yinmo,Xie Zhiliu,Pang Tianshou,Chen Shuliang and Wang Xuezhong with letters.Then he creates his own calligraphy style using the technique of Fangbi,Cefeng and Weibei.Involving the olds into modern and personal techniques,he creates one new calligraphy called“Kangti”with the indulgent,bold and fresh style.

In 1962,Kang Wuxue submitted a written statement to higher authorities Dong Biwu,Guo Moruo and Hu Juewen to advocate the calligraphy innovation and calligraphy practices among middle and primary schools.It attracted much attention of the Party and the State.The Ministry of Education issued a notice that the middle and primary schools would open calligraphy class.Kang Wanli was influenced by the family and he was interested in calligraphy since he was a child.

China was experiencing the later period of Culture Revolution and the country started to resume classes in schools when Kang Wanli was 10 years old.This provided a stable foundation for Kang’s practices.By practicing day after day,Kang’s paintings were often appeared in school and local art exhibition and he became famous at local place.As Kang Wuxue saw his son’s progress in painting and calligraphy,he let Kang Wanli start to learn Huangzhou’and Shilu’s painting techniques.His also carved chapter with the characters “ZhouShi”on it for his son to encourage him.With support of his father,Kang Wanli indulges himself into painting.Every stroke sketched his dreams and future.

1 The special army environment made him understand devotion better.

When he was15 years old,he painted a picture named E PANG GONG,which was a big change for his life.At that time,to join PLA was everyone’s dream.Slim and a little nearsighted,Kang Wanli had never thought that this kind of thing would happen on him.At one exhibition room in Wushan county,one army leader saw Kang’s painting and learned that it was painted by a 15-year-old young man.Kang got exceptive admission by the army and became one artistic soldier. He used calligraphy and painting to prompt army culture and encouraged other soldiers.Kang was distributed to art troupe in Air Force mainly in charge of stage design.Because Kang was extroverted and hard-working,he played an important role both in orchestra and actor team.Whenever the art troupe needed him,he would go.

The art troupes often had perform missions and would go to the deep mountain areas.The condition in the mountains was very hard,but what worse was the short of intellectual life.Soldiers were isolated with the outer world.They bore the loneliness and the responsibility towards the state and the people.This spirit of devotion deeply influenced Kang Wanli which let him have responsibility for his work,made him study harder and be friendly to people.

2 Move ahead to stand on the giants’shoulders

Under the influence of his father,Kang Wanli had deep affection for painting.In order to widen his art vision,he traveled to the north and the south with his father to ask for advice from the famous artists at that time,like Sha Menghai,Lin Huanzhi,Fei Xinwo,Liu Bingsen and Li Duo etc.The calligrapher Wei Tianchi taught him the change of pen movement and speed.Mr.Sha Menghai let him know how to make the character solemn.Because he stood on the giants’shoulders,Kang Wanli made great progress on the techniques of calligraphy as well as widening the vision and knowledge.He had new understandings and targets towards art.His techniques of art works were improved a lot and he became famous gradually.

Kang Wuxue and Ding Xihui,Zhao Zheng and Chen Xibo made years’efforts to explore the new calligraphy,Beipai.The Beipai calligraphy was unique, rough，bold，decorous and provocative.Meanwhile,the Kangti calligraphy created by Kang Wuxue was accepted by the circle.One day in 2000,Kang Wuxue said to his son,“you have talent in calligraphy and go to practice my Kangti calligraphy.”Then Kang Wanli copied his father’s calligraphy earnestly.Until on July 12th,2003 of Chinese lunar calendar,Kang Wanli wrote one copy and his mother said this was what your father had written before.Hearding this,his father was very happy because he believed his Kangti calligraphy had successor already.In 2004,his father passed away and Kang Wanli became the only successor of Kangti calligraphy.

3 Innovation and finding his own new world

In 2005,many of his pieces in Kang Wanli’s exhibition so similar to his father’s that his works were thought to be his father’s.This made Kang Wanli come up with some new ideas which promoted his third lift change.He began to practice Fangbi calligraphy created by Jinlong 5 years ago and he had already integrated this calligraphy into Kangti calligraphy.Since that,he created his own style.With the characteristics of the Kangti calligraphy made by his father,he had new style.He pen was in full swing and the ink was plain and delicate as well as free.This new style was practiced hard by Kang Wanli at the age of 45 to 55.He succeeded Beipai Kangti calligraphy with innovation and made this art more shiningful and charming.

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Now the aged Kang Wanli still practices calligraphy everyday and immerses himself into the lines art.Many calligraphy lovers from all over the country come up to him to ask for his pieces.He is always happy to give them whatever they want.Meantime,he is the calligraphy professor of Confucius Institute in Russia and guest professor of Beijing University to promote the traditional Chinese calligraphy.In his free time,he also teaches students to practice.No matter who you are,as long as you love calligraphy,you will learn a lot from Kang Wanli.

4 The end

In 2003,because of his talent,he was assigned to the Culture Affairs Bureau in the county to guide the county art creation and performance.Four spare time art troupes were set up gradually under the instruction of him and the size was enlarged and quantity of the art troupe was improved step by step.These troupes often performed in the factories and mines,countryside and armies as well as schools.They brough the spiritual food to the common people.Kang Wanli often brought the cultural elements to the countryside and wherever he went,the villagers life there would became colorful.He personally guided the villagers how to dance.The members in these troupes are villagers and citizens who are interested in arts.Kang Wanli’s plan is to build couture yard in the countryside where the villagers could enjoy the culture life in free time.But all of these do not change his love towards calligraphy.“Calligraphy is the important part in my life.Iexplore and I enjoy.”

［1］Kang Wanli.Wushan literature and art[M].2013-05.

［2］Gansu TV.China northwest angle:Kang Wanli,Inheritance of Beipai Kangti alligraphy[Z].2013,6.