Huang Shuyan

Huang Shuyan, style name Shu Yan. A native of Xiayi, Henan. Born into poverty, he followed his grandparents and parents as refugees begging for food. At the age of fourteen, he dropped out of school to work in agriculture—an experience filled with bitterness and hardship too painful to recount. Shortly after the restoration of the college entrance examination, he was admitted to a local normal school to study Chinese language. He studied under renowned local scholars Si Yingzhan and Lin Baoluo, a master of Chinese linguistics. After graduation, he spent over ten years "transmitting knowledge and instructing students." Later, he entered government service, but due to his straightforward nature, integrity, and lack of understanding of political maneuvering, he encountered repeated setbacks. At the age of forty-eight, he retired from public life and withdrew into seclusion among the common people, "retreating from the turbid world to hide himself." In moments of idleness, he took up the brush: practicing the calligraphic styles of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, Huai Su; imitating Zhang Xu and Mi Fu; studying the spirit of Sun Guoting and Huang Tingjian; learning the grace of Zhu Yunming and Zhao Mengfu. Shut away at home, he found joy in solitude, expressing his pent-up emotions—using calligraphy to cultivate his character and pass the time. Currently, he is a member of the Poetry, Wine, and Culture Association's Academy of Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting under the Ministry of Culture, a member of the Shangqiu Charity Academy of Calligraphy and Painting, and a member of the Henan Calligraphers Association. He has won numerous awards in calligraphy exhibitions at various levels.