Baisha Maolong Brush

Baisha Maolong Brush

　　    The Maolong Brush is a famous specialty of Xinhui, produced for five hundred years, widely sold across the country, and well-known in Southeast Asia. Its inventor was the eminent scholar of Guangdong, Mr. Chen Baisha. Mr. Baisha crafted the Maolong Brush from white reeds found on Guifeng Mountain in Xinhui. The calligraphy written with it is rugged and full of wild charm, bold and vigorous, earning nationwide fame at the time and exerting a profound influence. It has been praised as "the foremost talent in Lingnan." Mr. Baisha held deep affection for the Maolong Brush he created, respectfully referring to it as “Maogong.” In his poetry, he praised the magical qualities of the brush: “When Maogong lends its aid, the results are divine craftsmanship.” In his later years, when he fell ill and could no longer write with the Maolong Brush, he sighed: “I bid farewell to Maogong, waiting out my days in quiet peace.” Many of Mr. Baisha’s surviving calligraphic works remain, such as the *Ciyuan Temple Stele* (stone-carved running script), the *“Endurance” Character Eulogy* (woodblock-printed running script), and *Planting Hemp* (handscroll on paper in running-cursive script).

　　    The *Guangdong Xinyu* includes an entry on “Reed Pens,” stating: “Baisha preferred using reed pens. The reeds growing on Guifeng Mountain, where he lived, mostly sprouted from stones — they were white and tough. He bound the reed hearts together to make brushes, and the characters he wrote often had a simple, rustic charm.” Legend has it that when Mr. Baisha lectured on Guifeng Mountain, he “suffered from a lack of brushes while living in the mountains.” One autumn evening, he sat reading on a large rock in front of Yutai Temple on Guifeng Mountain. Suddenly, he noticed a cluster of lush, lovely white reeds growing on a stone. Trying to pluck one, he found it surprisingly tough to break. Upon closer inspection, he saw near the root of the broken reed a tuft of soft yet resilient white fibers — strikingly similar to the bristles of a writing brush. Delighted, he immediately gathered a handful of reeds and took them home. The next day, after drying them, he gently pounded them with a wooden mallet, then soaked them in water mixed with clam ash for several hours. After removing the pulp and redrying them, he bundled them into a brush. When dipped in ink, the Maolong Brush absorbed the ink richly. Writing the character “brush,” the strokes were firm, with lively shading and a strong masculine energy. Overjoyed, Mr. Baisha named it the “Maolong Brush.” From then on, he pioneered the unique Maolong calligraphy style with this brush, which became famous both at home and abroad.

　　Chen Xianzhang (1428–1500)     Chen Xianzhang (1428–1500), courtesy name Gongfu, art name Shizhai, was a native of Xinhui, Guangdong. Later, he moved to Baisha Village in Jiangmen, hence he is commonly known as Chen Baisha. Initially a student of Wu Yubi, he advocated the principles of “valuing doubt in learning” and “independent thinking,” promoting a relatively free and open academic style. Gradually, he formed a school of thought with its own distinctive characteristics, historically referred to as the Jiangmen School. His works were later compiled into the *Complete Works of Baisha*. Chen Xianzhang was the most renowned Neo-Confucian scholar and poet in Lingnan, as well as a highly original and creative calligrapher. His calligraphy stood out the most in the Lingnan calligraphy scene and enjoyed the greatest fame. He excelled at using bundled reeds as substitutes for brushes, and in his later years used them exclusively, developing a unique style of his own... More