Text / Wu Xingtang
Painting and calligraphy——cultivate taste, increase joy of life, urge people in good health and long life, it wasn’t discovered today, the ancient has discussed. Appreciate painting and calligraphy can be contented emotions and nature-cultivation, the ancients said in theory of painting:”Huang Dachi’s appearance as children when he was 90 years old, Mi Youren was not old and feeble more than 80 years old, still traveled around without illness, because cloud and smoke of the painting cultivated.”
Good works of calligraphy and painting embody the people's internal and outside feeling for the spirit. Any person's spirit contains obvious or potential consciousness about aesthetic, truth and behavior. Appreciate and taste the unity of the calligraphy and painting effect, based on their aesthetic emotions, promote and extend to induce beauty, give people a enjoyment of beauty, is a kind of understanding and comprehension.
Qing Dynasty calligrapher Mr. Bao Shichen’s article 《remember two great teacher language》，discusses the relationship of sending power of martial arts and calligraphy, the poetry said: "the whole body energy to the end". This shows that painting and calligraphy connotation on the body's exercise, make people health and longevity as the same. One hundred year old master Liu Haisu once said: "people only know the athletes and martial arts in practice and fitness, while little attention practice painting and calligraphy is also a kind of fitness." Some people ask the secret of his longevity, he said: "my way of self-cultivation, the secret of longevity without others, but is only writing and drawing."
Today, with the continuous improvement of material living conditions, people's pursuit of spiritual life is constantly improve and complete. Therefore, now people drawing and painting in the spare time, play a little appreciation, a bit of collection, is no longer in the past "excessive attention to plaything saps the will", but is the good performance of expand our horizons, increase knowledge, cultivate taste.
According to modern physiology, meditation and nature-cultivation raise the effect of active resting of brain function. Because in the training book, must consider carefully in a calm mood, even if the hand motor area full of exercise, also make the central nervous often have beautiful joy stored in mind, will be sent power to the end, pour on the paper, the mind naturally purified. Painting and writing can prolong life, it is true.
Modern calligrapher Lin Sanzhi lived 87 years, Sha Menghai 85 years, Wu Zuoren, Qigong nearly 90 years, Sun Mofo, Su Juxian all beyond 100 years.
Painting and calligraphy communicate with each other, health is also in common, the four kings’s age of Qing Dynasty as follow: Wang Shimin 88 years, Wang Jian 78 years, Wang Shigu 85 years, Wang Yuan 83 years. the average age of the four kings is 83.7 years. modern painters mostly live long, Wu Changshuo 85 years, Zhang Daqian 84 years, Huang Binhong 93 years, He Xiangning 94 years, Qi Baishi 97 years, Zhao Shaoang 85 years, Qian Songyan 87 years, Wang Geyi 89 years, Zhu Qizhan 104 years.
To find history book, make a statistics, among emperors, monks, famous painters and calligraphers of the Ming and Qing Dynasties two generations, painters and calligraphers are the most longevity, the average age of emperors is the lowest. In Chinese history the emperors of beyond 80 years old just four people: emperor Liangwu (Chen Baxian) 86 years, Tang Wuhou (Wu Zetian) 82 years, Song emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou) 81 years, Qing emperor Gaozong (Hongli) 89 years. Coincidentally, these four emperors all love calligraphy. Among of them, Song emperor Gaozong is diligent for calligraphy, he often said:”50 years never give up brush and ink”. Qing emperor Gaozong Hongli (Qianlong) reigned for long time, he practiced calligraphy every day, he has the ink marks of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Wang Xun in the hall of mental cultivation, be called “three rare”. The current 《three rare hall writing scripts》 is the repeat publication of previous generation stelae texts, collected by him.
According to historical material analysis, from making life comparisons between two generations of Ming and Qing 28 famous painters and calligraphers and eminent monks, the average life of painters and calligraphers is 79.7 years, the average life of eminent monks is 66 years. That is to say, the lifetime of famous painters and calligraphers is higher than eminent monks 12.9 years, amazing.
Writing makes longevity has medical science basis, Huang Kuang 《Oubeiyihua》 records: “study calligraphy is using for nourishing heart and healing sick, people like it”, He Qiao 《Intention》records:”Calligrapher, expressed, let out, express one’s mind, let out depression. So that calligraphers often longevity and without illness.”
The ancient and modern painters and calligraphers mostly live long, the main reason is painting and calligraphy activity can play a comprehensive adjustment exercise role in mentality and physiology aspect for people’s sound in body and mind. So to speak it is a kind of wonderful way of life. but this work just “influence character by environment”, can’t be immediate. have to preserve and comprehend by analogy.