A SET OF THREE BOOKS AND ONE ALBUM
Including Two Books and One Album of Zeng Zhongming (1896-1939)
1. ZENG ZHONGMING (1896-1939)
Poems of Xiehanglou
Album of twenty-eight leaves, ink on paper
Each leaf measures 20.8 x 12 cm. (8 ¹⁄₄ x 4 ³⁄₄ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with three seals of the artist
Dedicated to Lingshuang (Li Lingshuang)
LITERATURE: Wang Jingwei: His Life, Ideas and Beliefs, China Times Publishing Co., Taipei, 2019, p. 501.
NOTE: Li Lingshuang, wife of He Xiufeng, was the younger sister of Li Peishu. The couple met Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun through the introduction of her sister.

2. Draft of Xiehanglou Poems
One printed book
25.7 x 15.2 cm. (10 ¹⁄₈ x 6 in.)
Printed in 1966

3. Zeng Zhongming’s Death Anniversary Book
One printed book
28 x 16 cm. (11 x 6 ¹⁄₄ in.)
Printed in 1940
LITERATURE: Cloud, Smoke, Scattered Memories, The Memoir of Ho Mang Hang, China Times Publishing Co., Taipei, 2019, pp. 148-149. (Two pages)
NOTE: Zeng Zhongming (1896-1939) was the younger brother of Zeng Xing (1882-1954) and the husband of the artist Fang Junbi (1898-1986). More than a close friend, Wang Jingwei was Zeng’s mentor, teaching him Chinese literature and history, the art of calligraphy and how to write poetry. Zeng served as Wang’s private secretary, managed Wang’s finances and became Wang’s closest associate. In a number of poems, Zeng described memories of home and the time that he and Wang and the family spent together. On March 20, 1939 in an assassination attempt on Wang Jingwei in Hanoi, Zeng Zhongming was shot and passed away the following day.

4. Hua Mei Ji
One thread-bound book
28.2 x 15.6 cm. (11 ¹⁄₈ x 6 ¹⁄₈ in.)
NOTE: According to the descendents of the family, the poems were calligraphed by Wang Jingwei (1883-1944). It was discovered in his study after his death.

Wang Jingwei: His Life, Ideas and Beliefs, China Times Publishing Co., Taipei, 2019, p. 501. (#1)
Cloud, Smoke, Scattered Memories, The Memoir of Ho Mang Hang, China Times Publishing Co., Taipei, 2019, p. 148-149. (#3, two pages)

Wang Jingwei remains one of the most fascinating and complex political and literary figures in modern Chinese history. As a revolutionary, Wang played an important role in the fall of the Qing dynasty and called for democratic and social reforms during the 1920s and the 1930s, before becoming a leader of the Peace Movement during the Second Sino-Japanese War. An accomplished calligrapher, poet, writer and friend to many artists, Wang is also well-known for his collection of poetry, titled Shuangzhaolou shicigao, including Xiaoxiuji (A Little Rest) and Saoyeji (Brush Leaves) collections. A selection of poems and translation has been published in Poems of Wang Ching-wei (London, Allen & Unwin, 1938).