JI ZHI WEN GAO BY Yan Zhenqing

《Ji Zhi Wen Gao》 is a draft of a funeral oration written by the calligrapher of Tang Dynasty, Yan Zhenqing, for his nephew Yan Jiming. It is a Running Script (行书), height: 20.8cm, width: 75.5cm, twenty-three lines, with two hundred and thirty-four words in total. It was written in 758AD. The original masterpiece is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, the display above is a reproduction.

The draft recounts the governor of Changshan Yan Gaoqing and his son’s noble deeds of bravely fighting back An Lushan’s rebellion and finally sacrificed their lives. It reveals Yan’s intense grief to his nephew Yan Jiming. The draft was said to be “The Second Best Running Script in the World” by Xian Yushu, a calligrapher of Yuan Dynasty.