Songxuezhai ji 松雪齋集

Songxuezhai ji 松雪齋集, also called Songxuezhai wenji 松雪齋文集, are the collected writings the Yuan-period 元 (1279-1368) painter Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254-1322), courtesy name Zi'ang 子昂, style Songxue Daoren 松雪道人. He was a descendant of a Song-dynasty 宋 (960-1279) prince. In 1286, he entered the service of the Yuan dynasty and was appointed director in the Ministry of War (bingbu langzhong 兵部郎中), and then auxiliary academician in the Academy of Scholarly Worthies (Jixian zhi xueshi 集賢直學士), a function in which he participated in the compilation of the veritable annals of Qubilai Qaɣan (Emperor Shizu 元世祖, r. 1260-1294), Shizu shilu 世祖實錄, and the golden-letter Tripitaka (Jinshu dazang jing 金書大藏經). Zhao continued in public service as educational commissioner (ruxue tiju 儒學提舉) of Jiang-Zhe 江浙 and recipient of edicts at the Hanlin Academy (Hanlin xueshi chengzhi 翰林學士承旨). In 1319, he retired. He was posthumously invested as Duke of Wei 魏國公, with the posthumous title Wei Wenmingong 魏文敏公.

Zhao achieved exceptional skills in painting and calligraphy. His paintings of landscapes, figures, horses, and flowers were outstanding, particularly his ink bamboo and horse-and-rider scenes, which were especially remarkable. He advocated learning from the structured styles of the Five Dynasties 五代 (907-960) and Northern Song 北宋 (960-1126), transforming the decorative court style of the Southern Song 南宋 (1127-1279). He painted rocks using the feibai 飛白 "flying white" brush technique and rendered bamboo with expressive brushwork, thereby pioneering a fresh style in Yuan-dynasty painting. His calligraphy was equally astonishing. Proficient in seal script, chancery script, cursive, and regular script, he mastered them all with remarkable finesse. Many stone inscriptions bear his calligraphy, which became known as the "Zhao style" (Zhaoti 趙體). Among his surviving paintings are Chongjiang diezhang tu 重江疊嶂圖 (Layered peaks over the Yangzi), Que-Hua qiuse 鵲華秋色 (Autumn colours on the Que and Hua Mountain), and Qiujiao yinma tu 秋郊飲馬圖 (Watering horses in the autumn countryside). His writings include the descriptive Xuanyuan shizi tu 玄元十子圖 "Portraits of the Ten Adepts of the Mysterious Origin". A collection of conversations with his disciple Yang Zai 楊載 (1271-1323), titled Songxuezhai tanlu 松雪齋談錄, is lost.

The Songxuezhai ji, with a length of 10 juan and a second series (Waiji 外集) of between 1 and 10 juan (depending on the edition), was posthumously published by Zhao Mengfu's son Zhao Yong 趙雍. In 1339, Shen Huang 沈璜 borrowed Zhao Yong's copy, revised and proofread it, and had it printed.

The collection contains over 500 pieces of poetry and prose written by Zhao Mengfu, organised by literary genre. Juan 1 consists of rhapsodies (fu 賦); juan 2 and 3 contain old-style poems (gushi 古詩); juan 4-5 include regular poems (lüshi 律詩) and quatrains (jueju 絶句); fascicle 6 features miscellaneous writings (zazhu 雜著) and prefaces (xu 序); fascicles 7-9 are composed of records (ji 記), commemorative inscriptions, and epitaphs (beizhi 碑志); juan 10 includes drafts for edicts (zhi 制), memorials (pida 批答), examination essays (ceti 策題), encomia (zan 贊), inscriptions (ming 銘), colophons (ti-ba 題跋), and folk-style poetry (yuefu 樂府). The appendix (Waiji) contains 19 miscellaneous pieces in various literary styles.

Zhao Mengfu approached art with a broad and open perspective. His views on painting were not confined by the discipline's conventions; he often explored the mysteries of painting through indirect insights drawn from other art forms. At times, he rose above the specifics to grasp the overall direction of literary and artistic expression from a commanding height. He believed that literature and the arts should aim for a return to the ancient. Whether in poetry, prose, calligraphy, or painting, he advocated for learning the brush techniques of the ancients and striving to capture their spirit. In his view, one should study literature using the Six Classics as the ultimate guide and poetic composition should adhere to traditional models. In seal carving, Zhao revered the simplicity and upright style of the Han 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) and Wei 曹魏 (220-265) dynasties, advocating for rejecting vulgar trends to return to classical ideals. When discussing musical instruments, he particularly valued the zither (qin 琴).

Zhao Mengfu believed that painting, akin to poetry, was not primarily about representing objects or describing scenery but about expressing emotions and conveying personal sentiments. Painting served as a medium for emotional expression — an approach he not only championed in theory but also practised consistently throughout his artistic life. Zhao Mengfu did not regard calligraphy and painting as minor skills but as lifelong pursuits deserving of deep commitment—arts that should receive acclaim in one's own time and be passed down to future generations. While he diligently studied the brushwork of the ancients, he also sought inspiration and artistic truth from nature. Like the Jin-period 晉 (265-420) painter Gu Kaizhi 顧愷之 (c. 348-409), Zhao aspired to devote himself wholeheartedly to painting and to leave behind a legacy that would endure through the ages.

Zhao Mengfu's colophons and poems inscribed on paintings offer valuable insights into his mindset while painting, his evaluations and appreciation of masterpieces by earlier artists and contemporaries, and his relationships with fellow painters of his time. Although Zhao Mengfu did not leave behind a dedicated theoretical treatise on painting, his views and insights are scattered throughout various forms of his writings. Unfortunately, many of his valuable inscriptive comments and colophons were not included in this volume; they are instead dispersed across later collections and catalogues of paintings and calligraphy. A comprehensive compilation and careful critical edition of these materials remain a task for the future.

The collection is included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and Sibu congkan 四部叢刊.