Yen Chen-ch'ing was a native of Shantung and a chin-shih degree holder who was a loyal official and defender of the T'ang. In his effort against the Li Hsi-lieh rebels, he was captured and executed. This work represents a heartfelt requiem written by Yen for his nephew. Despite its serious and formal content, Yen's calligraphy reveals his inner feelings. Elements of standard, running, and cursive script appear, but all are based on Yen's round and heavy strokes in standard script. The ink ranges from thick to dry, and the corrections to the contents reveal the emotional spontaneity of the draft. The final exclamation to the content of the text correlates to the wild cursiveness of the calligraphy found at the end.
Yen Chen-ch'ing, from a renowned family in the Shantung area, was a chin-shih civil service graduate of 734 and served in a number of high offices. During the revolt of Li Hsi-lieh, he was ordered to serve an imperial notice to the rebels. However, he was detained by the rebels and executed, making him a martyr of the T'ang dynasty. Earlier, in the An Lu-shan rebellion, his cousin was serving as a local magistrate. When rebels invaded the area, the T'ang armies did not come to their rescue, resulting in the death of Yen's cousin and nephew. Thus, it was under these circumstances that Yen Chen-ch’ing at the age of 49 composed this work. Early T'ang calligraphy followed that of the Sui dynasty and fused northern and southern styles, and Emperor T'ai-tsung particularly admired the Wang Hsi-chih manner from the 4th century. By the first half of the 8th century, however, the dignified and imposing manner of High T'ang calligraphy was formed, and the grand style of Yen Chen-ch'ing was most representative. The influence of his calligraphy would extend for more than a thousand years, even up to the present day. This work by Yen Chen-ch'ing, however, is a draft for a formal work. With his sturdy standard script as a foundation, his standard, running, and cursive scripts are all evident here. The movement of his brush also reflected changes in wet and dry ink. Consequently, this piece looks as if written in a single sitting. It even includes corrections, revealing the changing emotions and thoughts of Yen Chen-ch’ing as he wrote. Although this is a solemn requiem, it still reveals Yen’s character and emotions, making it one of the premier works from his hand.