Cai Xiang () (1012–1067) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, structural engineer, and poet.
[Ci hai bian ji wei yuan hui (辞海编辑委员会）. Ci hai （辞海）. Shanghai: Shanghai ci shu chu ban she （上海辞书出版社）, 1979. Page 610.] He had the reputation as the greatest calligrapher in the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
.
Biography
He was born during the Dazhongxiangfu ()
era
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Com ...
of the Song dynasty in Xianyou () county of Xinghua () prefecture, now
Xianyou County
Xianyou (; Puxian Min: ) is a county in the municipal region of Putian, in eastern Fujian province, People's Republic of China.
Administration
The county seat is in Licheng Subdistrict ().
Towns (镇, ''zhen'')
* Linan, Xianyou
Linan () is a ...
in
Putian
Putian or Putien (, Putian dialect: ''Pó-chéng''), also known as Puyang (莆阳) and Puxian (莆仙), historically known as Xinghua or Hing Hwa (), is a prefecture-level city in eastern Fujian province, China. It borders Fuzhou City to the n ...
of
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its c ...
province.
In the eight year of the Tiansheng () era (1030 CE) he obtained the degree of ''
jinshi
''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referr ...
'' (進士, lit. "advanced scholar"), a graduate who passed the triennial court exam. His highest rank was Secretariat Drafter of the Duanming Court (''Duanmingdian Xueshi''), in charge of written communication of the imperial government. During the Qingli () era (1041–1048 CE), he was the Officer of Transportation (''Zhuanyunshi'') in Fujian. While acting as a prefect in Fujian, he also was in charge of overseeing the construction of the Wan-an Bridge at
Quanzhou
Quanzhou, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metropolitan region, with an area of and a populat ...
.
He pioneered the manufacturing of small
Dragon Tribute Tea Cake of superlative quality, as it was reputed to be harder to obtain than gold.
Cai Xiang's
style name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theoba ...
was Junmo (), and his
posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishment ...
was Zhonghuei.
Works
One of his most famous publications is his essay "
The Record of Tea", also known as the "Tea Note", which he wrote in 1049–1053.
* Calligraphy: Wan'an Bridge Report Tablet
* Poetry: Collected Works of Cai Zhonghuei
* Letter: Letter on Cheng Xin Tang Paper
Quotes
See also
*
Lu Yu
Lu Yu (; 733–804) or Lu Ji (陆疾), courtesy name Jici (季疵) was a Chinese tea master and writer. He is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book '' The Classic ...
(733–804), writer of "
The Classic of Tea
''The Classic of Tea'' or ''Tea Classic'' () is the first known monograph on tea in the world, by Chinese writer Lu Yu between 760 CE and 762 CE, during the Tang dynasty. Lu Yu's original manuscript is lost; the earliest editions available da ...
"
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cai, Xiang
1012 births
1067 deaths
11th-century Chinese calligraphers
11th-century Chinese poets
11th-century Chinese architects
Artists from Fujian
Chinese structural engineers
Chinese tea masters
Engineers from Fujian
People from Putian
Poets from Fujian
Song dynasty calligraphers
Song dynasty poets