戴蘭邨   Dai, Lan-Cun   1924~2011

Born in Cang County, Hebei Province, China, Lancun Dai inherited his family tradition, treating standard script as the point of departure for his journey across the world of calligraphy. Then he emulated all the styles of Qin seal script and Han clerical script, and meanwhile delved into the history of calligraphy. Later, he decided to master running script, and devoted most of his energy to Character Compilation of the Preface to Sacred Teachings. A graduate of Jinan Normal School, Shandong Province, Dai used to work as a journalist and had served in the Office of the President for nearly four decades since he came to Taiwan in 1950. He also engaged in translation, editing and criticism, showing dedication to literature for years. In terms of art, Dai followed the calligraphic traditions established by Xizhi Wang, and evolved his own creative style which exudes an aura of vigor, gentleness, elegance, and ethereality. Favoring Song poetry for practicing calligraphy, he was particular about the autograph and seal of his calligraphic works. In terms of literature, he was the translator of several famous publications, including Shiro Murano’s On the Musicality of Poetry, the poems by German poet Rainer Rilke and French poet André Gide, ergo significantly influenced the development of modern poetry in Taiwan. In 2006, Dai was elected as one of the ten contemporary model calligraphers in Taiwan by the General Association of Chinese Culture. Held in great reverence though, he remained humble and restrained, stating that “I bear ancient manner in mind, evolve my own creative style, and behave by considering others.” It was not only his principle of calligraphy but also the code of conduct for his life.