HE WUZOU (1581-1651)
Calligraphy in Cursive Script
Handscroll, ink on paper
29.5 x 330 cm. (11 ⁵⁄₈ x 129 ⁷⁄₈ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated xinsi year (1641)

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).