Cheng Yong

  Cheng Yong, style name Qianli, pseudonym Yeqiao, also known as Master of Zixu Studio, Qiongjiang Fisherman, and Xiali Baren. Born in 1954 in Chongqing's Tongnan, he inherited from childhood a family tradition in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; in his youth he diligently studied poetry, literature, music, and traditional Chinese medicine. After graduating from high school, he joined the military and was stationed in Tibet, where he developed a passion for journalistic writing. In 1977, he participated in the first college entrance examination after the Cultural Revolution and was admitted to Southwest Normal University and Chongqing Normal University (now Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences), where he was assigned to study Chinese Language and Literature. He graduated in 1981 and was assigned to Chengdu, where he worked successively at the Sichuan Coal Administration Bureau, Coal Supervision Bureau, Safety Administration Bureau, and the Sichuan Provincial Government's Office of Safety. During this time, he engaged in education and management work within industry-specific calligraphy and painting associations. When the China Calligraphers Association was reestablished in the 1980s, he became one of Sichuan’s founding members. He was appointed as a researcher at the China UNESCO Social Welfare Center’s Painting Research Center. He participated in the Sino-Japanese Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition of Renowned Artists. He took part in the National Calligraphy Exhibition hosted by the China Calligraphers Association, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Culture, the Central Radio and Television Station, and the China Earthquake Administration at the Beijing China Art Museum. He participated in the overseas Chinese “Chinese Heart” Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition held in Russia. He was selected and inscribed in stone for his self-composed poem in clerical script (variant style) commemorating the 1580th anniversary of the Yunnan Cuan Baozi Stele. On the basis of decades of research, teaching, and creative practice in calligraphy, he compiled and authored *The Easy Path to Calligraphy* (Chinese-English edition), intended as a reference for calligraphy enthusiasts, researchers, educators, and creators both in China and abroad.