Wang Xu, who styled himself as Juesheng, Xingcun, and Changyangjisou, was a native of Laiyang, Shandong province. An Imperial Scholar during the Guangxu reign, Wang was a political figure and calligrapher of the late-Qing, early-Republic period. His calligraphy was sought after so greatly in the capital that, as a reflection of the many plaques and couplets written by him, he became the subject of a popular set phrase – “Plaques everywhere are in [Wang] Xu’s writing.”