Al-Hajji ‘Abd al-Hakim practised the art of Chinese calligraphy from his childhood under the tutelage of the renowned calligrapher Guo Zhenduo, before studying Arabic calligraphy under Cao Jin Zao in his teenage years. The dual influence of his tutors is shown in the combination of Arabic calligraphy in scripts such as thuluth and diwani, with Chinese translations. His work uses a combination of a reed pen, as shown by the sharp, clear tips of the vertical letters here, and a brush for the Chinese translations. The elegant beauty of his calligraphic compositions have earned the artist international recognition with exhibitions in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Tehran. For further information and works by the artist, see Francoise Aubin, 'L'Art de l'écriture chez les musulmans de Chine', in Horizons maghrébins, vol. 12 (1999), pp. 29-43; and Haji Abdul Hakim Liu Jingyi, Selected Works of Chinese and Arabic Calligraphy, Beijing 2008. For another composition by the artist in the shape of a fan, see lot 29 in this sale.