Zhang Henglu

Zhang Henglu, a Chinese calligrapher, styled Yunhe, was born in 1946 and hails from Pingdingshan. He is a successor of the Dafeng Hall, a National First-Class Calligrapher, and an art critic. Having studied calligraphy for seventy years, he has attained profound expertise in the field, mastering all five scripts—running, cursive, clerical, seal, and regular—and is especially renowned for his running script, earning him the title "King of Running Script of Yingcheng."

Since childhood, he has been passionately devoted to calligraphy, inheriting family traditions as a scholarly household; at age three, he could recognize a thousand characters, at five he composed regulated poetry, and by ten, his running script work "Goose" by Luo Binwang was published in contemporary newspapers and magazines, earning him the reputation of a "calligraphy prodigy." In 1978, despite being thirty years old, he was exceptionally recommended for university admission, becoming one of the first college students after the restoration of the national college entrance examination, thus laying an academic foundation for his calligraphy career. Thereafter, he delved deeply into calligraphy theory, tirelessly practicing the stele and tablet styles of ancient masters such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Mi Fu, and Zhao Mengfu. The piled-up practice papers filled his 300-square-meter studio, truly embodying the phrases "oxen sweat, books fill houses" and "learned enough to fill five carts." During this time, he studied under a disciple of Zhang Daqian, becoming a "second-generation disciple" and a successor of the Dafeng Hall. Gradually, he developed a unique style: his works exude grandeur and boldness, with dignified forms that reveal the true spirit of calligraphy. His works have been extensively featured by mainstream media outlets including CCTV, People's Daily, Guangming Daily, Henan Daily, China Calligraphy Daily, and China Art News, and he has been interviewed multiple times by the media.