>> > [Abstract]>This article [1]>>Centers on the petition written by Zheng Wuchang, manager of the Chinese Block Printing Bureau, to Chiang Kai-shek on January 29, 1935, combined with relevant history And the background of the times, by analyzing the literature, directives and influences related to Chinese block letters, the nation-state consciousness of Chinese font design in the 1930s is discussed in depth. This paper argues that block script in Chinese is a discursive practice of cultural nationalism. On the one hand, Zheng Wuchang’s actions are conducive to the inheritance of the inherent Chinese culture of using regular script as the standard script in the printing age, and on the other hand, they have formed an obstacle to the modernization of modern Chinese font design. . By appealing to political authority, Zheng Wuchang re-establishes the connection between block script and politics, which, while helping to preserve weak cultural traditions, is not conducive to the diversification of typography. This paper argues that Chinese font design should not only respect cultural traditions, but also overcome the barriers of nationalism. The more you are in a free cultural experience, the more you can show the charm of classic Chinese calligraphy. >>> 【Keywords】Zheng Wuchang Chinese Block Letters Nation State Font Design Power >> When I went to Taiwan for the first time in 2006, there was a visual impression that left a deep impression on me. This is the wide use of regular script fonts, whether it is in books, newspapers and other printed materials, government departments, educational institutions, or business signs, For advertisements, regular script fonts can be described as "ubiquitous". The widespread use of this kind of regular script is rare in urban and rural areas in mainland China. Even in very formal occasions, such as in academic seminars, official documents or papers, whether it is title words or regular text, regular script fonts are used The frequency of is far less than that of Song style characters or imitation Song characters. why is that? This question has been circling in my mind for a long time. Last year, our research team began to systematically organize and study the history of Chinese font design in the 20th century. During this process, we discovered many new historical materials and clues, and the discovery of these materials gradually solved my doubts . Especially on January 29, 1935, Zheng Wuchang, the manager of the Chinese Block Printing Publishing Bureau, wrote a petition to Chiang Kai-shek. The discovery of this important document made me start to rethink the cultural value of modern Chinese font design. This article will focus on the petition of Chinese block letters and Zheng Wuchang, combined with relevant historical documents and the background of the times, to discuss the relationship between Chinese font design and national consciousness. The question I am concerned about is: what power can make a "microscopic" font language closely linked with the nation-state consciousness of an era? How should we understand the relationship between font design language and nation-state in the Chinese cultural context? What kind of impact will the nation-state awareness have on the development of Chinese typeface design? These issues are what this paper intends to study. > On February 19, 1934, Chiang Kai-shek delivered a speech "Essentials of the New Life Movement" at the Enlarged Prime Minister's Memorial Week held in Nanchang Camp, announcing the start of the "New Life Movement". Two months later, the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education issued an order, notifying that issued by the department under its jurisdiction, "It is not allowed to use three-dimensional yin and yang fonts and foreign languages on the covers of various books and periodicals, newspaper inscriptions and slogans, etc. Regarding the Chinese issue in the article, it is even more forbidden to use the Western calendar year name to emphasize national consciousness">. [2]>The departments from which this order originated, from the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education, the Ministry of the Interior, the Central Propaganda Committee, to the Nanchang Camp Political Training Office, turned a few turns before arriving at the source of the order: "Chairman Qingfeng Jiang’s instruction.” Since this order came from Chiang Kai-shek, and it was issued from the “Nanchang Camp”, the de facto center of power at that time, it is obvious that this was not a local behavior in Jiangxi. At the same time, the government communiques of Shanghai, Nanjing, Peiping, Guangdong, Anhui, Fujian, Henan and other places also conveyed this instruction. [3]>> >> The "three-dimensional, yin and yang fonts" mentioned in Jiang Yuzhong are actually some of the more decorative characters in the later so-called "art calligraphy". "Art characters", in the period of the Republic of China, there were also titles of "pattern characters", "pattern characters", "decorative characters", "advertising characters", and "art characters". Most of these names came from Japan, [4] > Moreover, its writing style has a deep relationship with Japanese pictorial characters. In 1936, when Liang Desuo talked about the book binding at that time, he pointed out: "Especially the patterned characters, which were prevalent in Japan first, but China can directly use them or change additions and subtractions."[5]>According to Japanese scholars According to the research, the origin of "patterned characters" in Japan is also the result of Japanese designers learning Western decorative font designs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries after the Meiji Restoration, and then applying them to Japanese. [6]>Although pictorial writing in the modern sense appeared in China as late as the end of the Qing Dynasty, like Japan, until the 1920s and 1930s, "picturing writing" could be regarded as a new modern knowledge. The September 1931 issue of "Liangyou" magazine once published two full pages of "pattern characters" (Figure 1)>. After comparison, the author found that these words were all from Fujiwara Taiichi's "図案化せるIt was selected from the book "Using Characters" (Tokyo: Dadeng Pavilion, 1925). (Figure 2)>> >> Figure 1"Exhibition of Patterned Characters" published in "Liangyou" magazine, September 1931. >>> Figure 2Fujiwara Taiichi, "> The label at the end of the book in the author's collection shows that it was originally a Japanese book sold by Uchiyama Bookstore in Shanghai, and there is also a collection of "Supplementing Modern Advertisement Typefaces" (Tokyo: Seijindo, 1929) written by Matsukura Nami. Shanghai Neishan Bookstore” label, contacting Lu Xun, Qian Juntao and others who purchased a large number of works of art and patterns in this bookstore, we can imagine that many Chinese designers, either through studying abroad (such as Chen Zhifo), or through Japanese books and periodicals (such as Qian Juntao), gradually learned this font design language, and began to be widely used in commercial advertisements and book design. [7]>Of course, the influence of pattern characters in China at that time was not entirely from Japan. For example, the cover font designed by Liu Jibiao, who was deeply influenced by Art Deco style while studying in France, was probably an exception. As for the use of foreign languages on the cover, it was indeed a common style of magazines at that time, especially in Shanghai, the publishing center of China at that time. Many magazines issued by publishing houses even used foreign languages on the cover to show their international vision, such as " Oriental, Modern and other magazines. (Figure 3)>> >> Chiang Kai-shek’s verbal edict shows that he has been keenly aware that there is something incompatible and heterogeneous in the “three-dimensional yin and yang fonts” that is incompatible with his “inherent national consciousness” Like the "Western calendar year number", the way this typeface was designed constituted a threat to the national consciousness, so an executive order was passed to prohibit the widespread use of this typeface in publications. It is hard to say what Chiang Kai-shek's understanding of decorative pictorial characters has to do with his background in Japan. Because during his early years in Japan (1908-1914), Japanese "patterned characters" had just emerged, and Inaba Kosen's pioneering book "Decorating Characters with 実図案" (Xingbunsha, 1912) was just published. Even though it has been applied in Japanese commercial propaganda, it is still hard to say what impression this new thing will leave on the heart of this future "leader" in terms of the senses. Of course, we can also speculate that it is caused by some direct reason, such as seeing the disgust of "colored fonts" in some books and magazines. But in any case, through this instruction, Chiang Kai-shek's rather accidental "typeface awareness" was grandly included in the "New Life Movement" he launched, and it attracted the attention of another expert. This person is Zheng Wuchang, the manager of the Shanghai Chinese Block Printing Bookstore who once served as a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. [8]>(Figure 4)>> >> Figure 4 Zheng Wuchang (1894—1952) was born in Sheng County, Zhejiang Province. The name is Chang, the name is weak niche, and the silk temples are scattered. >> >> Since the Central Propaganda Committee of the Kuomintang and the Ministry of the Interior requested that Chiang Kai-shek’s instructions be conveyed to newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses in various places, the manager of the Shanghai Chinese Block Printing Bureau, a publishing organization, must have directly handed over the instructions to Zheng Wuchang. Up. It is conceivable that Zheng Wuchang, who has devoted himself to the design and production of Chinese traditional art and Chinese block letters for many years, must have discovered some kind of "intersection" between the supreme leader and his own thoughts from this instruction. In the next six months, this order that left a deep impression on the busy Zheng Wuchang is likely to appear in Zheng Wuchang's mind from time to time. In the end, this "manager" who was well-learned, thoughtful, and full of artist's passion and imagination decided to take the opportunity of Chiang Kai-shek's instruction on the title of the cover to write a letter to the then supreme leader, expressing More important and more professional text typography issues are addressed to the "leader". Therefore, on January 29, 1935, he finished writing the article titled "Appeal to reward Chinese block letter movable type boards, and ask all subordinates and agencies to promote them accordingly, so as to promote the inherent culture and revitalize the national perception". petition. [9]> Next, I will conduct a careful analysis of this petition. > In this petition presented to the "Commander-in-Chief of Bandit Suppression in the Three Provinces of Hubei, Henan and Anhui", Zheng Wuchang first pointed out that Sun Yat-sen's national founding strategy emphasized the value of the printing industry in modern civilization, and in order to develop the printing industry, special attention should be paid to fonts. Then, Zheng Wuchang briefly described the early development of Chinese fonts, pointing out that block scripts have been the most important calligraphy style in Chinese culture since ancient times:> "Our country is the oldest country, and writing was created early. Since Cangjie created characters, there have been three generations of animal hooves, bird traces, insect characters, and river maps. In the Jin Dynasty, block letters became popular. Its fonts are correct, the style is beautiful, and it is easy to use. All our nations, if there is a similar font, they think it is the most suitable font. For thousands of years, people have been writing [10] into a habit. That is, in As far as printing is concerned, we can check [11] the ancient books of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the exquisite ones, such as block letters, were engraved with block script by famous handwriting at that time. Gong, who does not know calligraphy, presumptuously carves swans, turns around and makes mistakes, and ends up with a rigid structure, no business, a body that looks like Li but not Li, and Kai and not Kai, which is now called "Old Song Style", and the Japanese also call it "Ming Style". ', which has suddenly become the special typeface used in engraving and printing in our country, resulting in the complete separation of the writing style and the printing style of Chinese characters. In this passage, Zheng Wuchang expounded three meanings to support regular script characters from the traditional aspects of Chinese culture, and these statements can indeed find extensive support in the history of Chinese culture, calligraphy and printing type: first, Block script has a long history and is the most widely used and recognized handwriting by the Chinese. This is indeed a very long tradition, because as early as the Tang Dynasty, the so-called four methods of "body, speech, writing, and judgment" were used to select officials and people. It is said that the so-called "book" requires "the regular script to be elegant and beautiful", and [12]> the regular script should be written vigorously, powerfully, beautifully and generously. Therefore, Hong Mai, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, later said when talking about the selection system of the Tang people, "Since calligraphy is the art, so the people of the Tang Dynasty all practice regular script", [13]>> Secondly, "kai script" is the authentic and optimal type of ancient printing, while "Song type" (the so-called "old Song type" and "Ming type" in the text) are craftsmen who do not know what is inside, and the craftsman is rigid. Zheng Wuchang’s statement is indeed in line with historical facts from today’s research. At least from the wages paid to copyists and engravers by the inner government in the Qing Dynasty, it can be seen that the wages of regular script are higher than that of Song style (craftsman style), while European style regular script is the most expensive. [14]>This tradition is also very obvious in the "Juzhen imitation Song edition" of Zhonghua Book Company, which is still regarded as a printing classic. (Picture 5)> When Lu Feikui talked about the printing of Zhonghua Book Company's "Four Bubei Yao", he praised the "Juzhen imitation Song edition" created by the Ding brothers as "square European style, elegant and moving, and published with it. The ancient books should be comparable to the Song Yuyuan Journal." [15]>About the superior cultural status of regular script in printing, although this knowledge is very professional, it comes from a publisher like Zheng Wuchang, and is based on the "Song and Yuan ancient books" that scholars valued most in the past dynasties. ", "Printed editions of aristocratic families" are definitely convincing to Chiang Kai-shek, who loves to read ancient books and is full of "Confucianism". > Third, due to the widespread use of Song style characters, the "writing style" and "printing style" of the characters are not unified. This is a serious question that cannot be avoided. The origin of "Old Song Style" can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. Due to the separation of "writing" and "carving", engravers can be "illiterate". In addition to the influence of many factors such as cost and efficiency, they are used to doing it cheaply. [16 ]> This led to the problem of inconsistent "calligraphy" and "printing", which was not uncommon in the era of engraving and printing. And when missionaries and Chinese engravers used Western type letterpress technology to improve Chinese font design and printing, this issue was not touched, because this issue is a deep cultural issue, whether it is in Yinghua Academy or Meihua In the library, missionaries' understanding of Chinese characters is completely incomparable to that of Zheng Wuchang, who is deeply educated in Chinese culture, and they may not be able to understand this level at all. However, although ordinary readers may not be able to understand this issue unless it is a specialized publisher, once Zheng Wuchang points it out, Chiang Kai-shek only needs to take a newspaper of the day and look for a few headlines to understand it. > Next, Zheng Wuchang turned the topic of fonts to the input of Japanese printed fonts: > "And since the printing industry adopted machines in modern times, Japan imported copper molds of movable type from Ming style characters into our country. Our printers then copied them, so the so-called 'Old Song style' characters have become more important in my country's printing industry The shape is solid and deeply rooted. Recently, the old Song style has been changed to thinner and thicker, and the so-called "Fangtouzi" and "Xinming style" have been imported into my country, and almost all of my major newspapers and bookstores have adopted them. It is not a Japanese system. Is the old Song typeface able to monopolize my printing industry? It also replaces my ears because there is no better calligraphy style.">> Indeed, at the beginning of the 20th century, the movable type used in China's printing industry was inextricably linked with the Japanese printing industry. Japan's excellent printing technology was indeed very attractive to the domestic printing industry. We learned from the early days of the Commercial Press This relationship can be seen in the history of development. [17]>Especially the two schools of Japanese Ming Dynasty style, "Tsukiji style" and "Hideisha style" have a great influence. [18]>The copper mold advertisements published on the back covers of the 6th and 7th issues of the "Oriental Magazine" affiliated to the Commercial Press, especially emphasized "hiring famous Tokyo, Japan, processing and casting day and night". [19]>In fact, as the earliest movable type in Ming style in Japan, the original design of "Tsukiji" was modeled after the movable type of Song style in Shanghai Meihua Library. [20]>> After highlighting the influence of Japanese movable type on the coverage of China's printing and publishing industry, Zheng Wuchang turns to the narrative of "self-improvement":> "Wu Chang was inspired by this, and raised a huge sum of money without thinking too much about it. He selected the most common, most beautiful, most legitimate, and standard regular script in China. He hired famous hands to make letterpress copper molds, and named it' Chinese Block Letters Movable Type. It took three years from September 19th to September 22nd to make No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 copper molded type, and set up a factory to try printing various books The documents have been printed with the "Railway Yearbook" of the Ministry of Railways, the "Records of National Salt Administration" of the Salt Administration, the "Compilation of National Constitutions" of the Legislative Yuan, and the "National Banking Yearbook" of the Bank of China. The beauty of the achievements has been appreciated by all walks of life. In addition, more than 270 printing companies across the country have adopted Chinese block letter movable type printing. It is enough to prove that this kind of Chinese block letter movable type is suitable for letterpress printing and is welcomed by modern society.”> (Figure 6)>> When urging Chiang Kai-shek to reward block letters in Chinese, it is necessary to show off one's own achievements, and it is more convincing to politicians to bring out books and documents published by the government system. Of course, these achievements in Chinese block letters are real, not empty words. Today, we can still find these books in major libraries. > In the end, Zheng Wuchang raised the selection of fonts to the height of political unity, national spirit and national survival. He wrote: > "Jun Changhui expressly prohibits miscellaneous characters, and has great foresight in the rule of our country's cultural undertakings. Chinese calligraphy, especially regular script, no matter the north or the south, almost all Chinese people are accustomed to it. This kind of The spirit of the unity of writing[21] has a great influence on the unity of politics. Once the writing is unified, the national spirit depends on it to be maintained and not scattered. Therefore, although our country was destroyed by the Hu Yuan and the Manchu Qing, the unity of the writing was not enough. It has changed, so it is still the entire nation and the entire country. In modern times, there are more and more foreign characters, and most Chinese people do not pay attention to the inherent characters of our country. The old Song typeface, which is a common printing tool, was also made by the Japanese, and it is different from the Japanese. The self-use is the same body, the spread of fallacies, and the confusion of the senses. It is harmful to the future of our cultural life and national spirit. It is better to imagine. For this reason, without presumptuousness and sacrifice, we are willing to use the "Chinese Block Letters Movable Type Edition" that has been painstakingly created over the past few years. It not only casts and sells copper molds, but also enables our country's printing industry and those who are fond of cultural movements to use them together. Jun Chang is the leader of our entire nation, and he follows the rules and principles of the people, so a word is as important as He Yue. Any petition, It is not daring to be self-satisfied, it is a blasphemy. Vichy occupies a glorious position in the cultural history of our country for thousands of years, and it is still used by modern 400 million people. The regular script is used in the printing industry. In me, Junchang advocates the It can be widely used. The printing industry advocated by the Prime Minister and Jun Chang’s intention to ban miscellaneous characters are slightly beneficial. I hereby attach the styles of Chinese block letters of each number. Appreciate the inspection and grant the award It is really a sense of fairness that it has been promoted and promoted by the affiliated agencies accordingly.” >>> "Jun Changhui will issue a decree to ban miscellaneous characters" obviously refers to Chiang Kai-shek's verbal order to prohibit the use of "patterned characters" as titles of books and periodicals. Discuss the tradition of "book with text", that is, the relationship between "unification of writing" and unity of national spirit, unity of politics and resistance to Japanese cultural aggression. Obviously, although the "Book Tongwen" of the Qin Dynasty also involved "fonts" (Xiaozhuan), this is different from the concept and value of printing "fonts" in the modern sense. "Books with the same text", that is, unified characters, is mainly a problem of the unification of language and characters in writing, and the printing font design in the modern sense is based on "Books with the same text", which can expand and amplify the influence of "Books with the same text", but in The level used is more of a carrier of information exchange and the gene of the layout style. At the same time, Zheng Wuchang once again emphasized the Japanese identity of "Old Song Style", highlighting the advantages of Chinese block letters in terms of cultural self-esteem from the negative side. These expositions must be reasonable in Chiang Kai-shek's view. It is very likely that the "leader" who claims to be committed to national reunification and national rejuvenation will feel "sympathetic" when he read Zheng Wuchang's humble petition, so he ordered it to be promoted. [22]>> >> So, why did Chiang Kai-shek, who is busy with military and political affairs, pay so much attention to Zheng Wuchang's petition? What kind of situation or the atmosphere of the times made Chiang Kai-shek agree with Zheng Wuchang's statement so much? How do we understand Chiang Kai-shek's unusually positive attitude towards Chinese block script? > > In fact, in the history of China, rulers advocated the fonts of a certain calligrapher out of love for calligraphy, and there are many people in the past. [23]>However, Chiang Kai-shek may be the only one who published a document to promote a certain printing style. He obviously has a positive attitude towards the design of Chinese block letters. In addition to the beautiful and generous fonts of Chinese block letters, the advantages in cultural traditions, and Zheng Wuchang's earnest petition, we must also consider the situation in China at that time, Chiang Kai-shek's political situation, cultural propositions, and even his personal cultural attitudes were taken into consideration. > National unity and centralization are the consistent goals of Chiang Kai-shek and his Nanjing regime. [24]>After the Northern Expedition and the Central Plains War, Chiang Kai-shek only unified China in form. The real situation is that Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang and other "new warlords" replaced the "old warlords". It has begun to rise again, and these are still quite far from the "unification" and "centralization" that Chiang Kai-shek wanted. After the "internal strife" was settled, the "September 18th Incident" in 1931 led to the fall of the Northeast, and added a shameful "external humiliation". How to save the nation from peril is a major issue that Chiang Kai-shek, who holds the highest power, must consider. In terms of military affairs, Chiang Kai-shek adopted the policy of "to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home"; in terms of internal affairs, he learned from German and Italian fascism, established a secret service system, and strived to highly concentrate power in his own hands; In terms of political and social life, Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling took Nanchang as a "model" and started the "New Life Movement". An important content of the "New Life Movement", or an important foundation of it, is the advocacy of the "inherent culture" centered on Chinese Confucian ethics. > Chiang Kai-shek believed that the fundamental reason for the perilous situation in modern China did not lie in the level of material and force, but in the level of morality and spirit. Virtue", "and the inability to enrich the knowledge of the times to continue to carry forward the inherent culture of our nation." Therefore, "the way to save the nation and rejuvenate is to revive the inherent virtues of the nation to enhance our national spirit and carry forward our history and culture." [25>] Chiang Kai-shek always emphasized that the foundation of China's national rejuvenation is the classic philosophy of Chinese Confucianism and the "inherent virtue" of Chinese culture. [26]>In response to this kind of thinking, the most important design task to be dealt with by the political group of the "Party, Government and Military Investigation and Design Committee" under the Nanchang Camp is "the improvement of Chinese culture". ": "This is to innovate and change the national psychology, social atmosphere, and even the temperament and performance of the nation from the aspects of education, academics and all cultural undertakings, so as to fundamentally save the peril and revive the nation."[27] >> With such a background of the times, we will find that although Zheng Wuchang's petition is not many words, he must have carefully speculated on Chiang Kai-shek's psychology. For example, the opening chapter of the petition cited Sun Yat-sen's emphasis on the printing industry as a preface, elevating the printing to the level of a "strategy for nation-building", which naturally attracted the attention of Chiang Kai-shek, who regarded himself as Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary successor. In the following remarks, Zheng Wuchang made the "Chinese regular script" almost include all Chiang Kai-shek's cultural requirements: it comes from the "inherent culture" of regular script since the Jin and Tang Dynasties, and has the orthodox and classic culture of the Han nationality. At the same time, "Chinese block script" is a new creation in the contemporary era, which can enrich the "wisdom of the times". Not only that, as a continuation of the tradition of "books with text", it can also help unify people's hearts and replace powerful enemies. The influence of the fonts sold by Japan to China is culturally resistant to foreign humiliation. These rhetoric contained a strong sense of family and country and "orthodox" concepts, which obviously reached a high degree of unity with Chiang Kai-shek's views on politics and culture deep in his thoughts. It can be said that every sentence touched Chiang Kai-shek's heart. > Another reason that cannot be ignored is probably Chiang Kai-shek's personal love for regular script. As we can see from Chiang Kai-shek's many handwritings, he was originally a writer and lover of block letters. Talk about cursive. In 1934, he issued the national order, including his hobby of regular script, which Chiang Kai-shek insisted on almost all his life. [28]>(Figure 7)>> >> However, when I read Zheng Wuchang's petition, I couldn't help becoming interested in Zheng Wuchang's thoughts and intentions at that time. In fact, Zheng Wuchang’s Chinese block letters are not the only ones that make block letters. Before him, there were Commercial Press, Shanghai Commercial Printing Room, etc. After him, there were Chinese block letters, Yan Tikai characters of Huafeng Factory, etc. 29]>Why did only Zheng Wuchang think of writing a petition to the supreme ruler at that time? Is this a patriotic act by a publisher, or a marketing ploy trying to appeal to the highest powers? Is Zheng Wuchang's petition just because he saw Chiang Kai-shek's previous documents about prohibiting the use of calligraphy, foreign languages, and the Western calendar? How to understand the strong sense of nationhood and nationalism expressed between the lines in his words? What kind of environment was this petition brewing in? > >> >> In 1922, at the age of 29, Zheng Wuchang was hired by Zhonghua Book Company as the editor of literature and history. Two years later, he succeeded Gao Yehou as the director of the art department of Zhonghua Book Company. By the end of the 1920s, Zheng Wuchang had become a celebrity in the Shanghai art world. He not only published the magnificent book "The Complete History of Chinese Painting" (1929) (Figure 8)>, but also edited the weekly magazine "Bee" of the Bee Painting Society. , also served as a professor of Chinese painting at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, and presided over the editorial affairs for the school magazine "Congling" of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. [30]> During his tenure at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Zheng Wuchang began to carefully plan the development of Chinese block letters. Wu Tiesheng, who worked with Zheng Wuchang at Zhonghua Book Company, later described in detail the process of the creation of Chinese block letters when recalling Zheng Wuchang:> "Wuchang was well-known in the painting circle. He organized the Chinese Painting Association and Bee Painting Club with painters in Shanghai, and published "Bee Pictorial", which was typefaced in block letters. At that time, only the foreign printing company Meilingdeng had block letters. The fonts of each size are not complete. For the typesetting of "Bee Pictorial", Meilingdeng Factory has various difficulties. Wu Chang was frustrated and wanted to make block letters by himself. Because of the consent of the calligrapher Gao Yuncheng, Mr. Gao wrote block letters There are more than 8,000 commonly used characters. Mr. Bohong considered that he was purchasing and expanding the "Juzhen Fangsong" movable type at that time, and there were many difficulties in terms of manpower, economy, and typesetting workshops, so he agreed to postpone it. Wu Chang left Zhonghua Book Company , raised funds with Li Zuhan, Li Qiujun, etc. to set up the Chinese regular script printing bookstore. He acted as the general manager and created the Chinese regular script. The copper molds of each number were completed in 1933, and the fonts were sold all over the country. The creation of a complete set of regular script should be based on the Chinese regular script. Cai Yuanpei The gentleman called it 'a great contribution to the cause of Chinese culture'. Later, block letters such as Hanyun and Chinese were successively produced”[31]>> In fact, Zhonghua Bookstore, where Zheng Wuchang works, has always attached great importance to the important value of printed fonts for publishing. Zhonghua Bookstore used the purchased "Juzhen imitation Song edition" created by the Ding brothers to print "Si Bu Bei Yao" because of its extremely exquisite printing. And the price is low, and it won high praise in the Chinese cultural circle at that time. Zheng Wuchang's predecessor Gao Yehou once presided over the event, [32]> Zheng Wuchang is naturally very familiar with these situations. Obviously, the successful precedent of "Juzhen imitating the Song Dynasty version" has certain enlightening significance for Zheng Wuchang's creation of Chinese block letters. After the establishment of the Chinese Block Printing Publishing House, it recruited many talents, including Xie Haiyan in her youth. Xie Haiyan, who had studied painting and art history in Japan, was the director of the editorial department of the Chinese Block Printing Books. [33]>> Gao Yuncheng (1872—1941), [34]> also known as Gao Jianbiao, a writer of block letters in Chinese, was born in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang. Members, in addition to "Gaoshu Xiaokai", also published "Gaoshu Dakai" copybooks, and co-edited the book "Characterology and Calligraphy". The engraving of Chinese block letters was done by Zhu Yunshou, Xu Tangsheng, Lu Pinsheng, Zheng Huasheng and others. [35]>So, from the perspective of Chinese font design, what kind of regular script tradition does Chinese block script continue? Some people believe that the design of Chinese block letters, from the perspective of calligraphy and fonts, is actually a continuation of the Ming and Qing dynasties' Kuange style writing tradition in the printing era. [36]> Some people also think that the Chinese block letters have the shadow of Qing Dynasty script in "Quan Tang Poetry" published by Yangzhou Poetry Bureau. [37]>Both of these views are reasonable. The former emphasizes the word "writing", while the latter emphasizes the word "engraving". As far as typographic fonts are concerned, they can complement each other. The author also compared the characters in "Gaoshu Xiaokai" (Fig. 9)> with those in Chinese block letters, and found that the basic structure and style of Chinese block letters did come from Gao Yuncheng, but in some sketched In terms of details, the influence of the engraving master is reflected from time to time. > Although the direct reason for Zheng Wuchang's creation of Chinese block letters was the various "displeasures" he felt when he used block letters to typeface the "Bee" pictorial at the foreign merchant Mellington Company. These unhappiness come not only from fonts and layout, but also from the self-esteem of national culture. Obviously, it is weak to talk about fonts only in terms of fonts, or to understand Zheng Wuchang's national and national consciousness only from this petition. Because Zheng Wuchang is a very comprehensive person. He is not only a painter who adheres to the tradition of literati painting, but also an art historian who has written "The Complete History of Chinese Painting" and has an overall observation of Chinese culture. Art editor and literature and history editor, he covers a wide range of fields. The conception and practice of Chinese block letters are actually part of his entire cultural and artistic concepts. We must connect Zheng Wuchang’s thinking and deeds in other related cultural and artistic fields, and his remarks on Chinese block letters as a connection and comparison. The relationship between Zheng Wuchang and Chinese block script can be understood more closely and completely. > First of all, Zheng Wuchang is a well-known traditional painter, so we need to connect with his thoughts on Chinese painting, and see what kind of connection there is between his understanding of Chinese block letters and his painting thoughts. Before paying attention to printed characters, Zheng Wuchang was most concerned about the historical status, destiny and future of Chinese painting. As a traditionalist, before writing the petition to Chiang Kai-shek, Zheng Wuchang said in an article on Chinese painting: > "It can be seen that Chinese painting is a special national culture developed by the Chinese nation due to the background of history, geography, religion, customs, etc. The crystallization of this national culture is also the sustenance of our national spirit. Our nation or Because of political and economic relations, there are changes in strength and weakness, but this crystallization of national culture will always rest on the immortal spirit of our nation and continue to maintain our nation as one.”[38]>> Zheng Wuchang also mentioned that there are three ways of imperialist aggression: force, economy, and culture. Although force and economic aggression are enough to subjugate the country, they can still wait for an opportunity to revive, but if it is destroyed by cultural aggression, the fate of the nation will be different. Danger of eternal doom. Then, using the examples of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, he pointed out that "it is the country of the dead, the kind that destroys the people, and makes them eternally irreversible. It is not force, not economics, but only cultural aggression." The greatest ability of a nation to exist permanently in the world lies in its culture," and so on. At the same time, Zheng Wuchang was very worried about the current situation. He said, "Now the imperialists are all intrigues, gearing up and eager to move. The fear of mankind is no different from the night before the war." [39]>For traditionalist intellectuals, emphasizing the "orthodoxy" of Chinese culture and the "inherent culture" is a very natural and reasonable response. After the 18th Incident, the people of the Republic of China expected "national rejuvenation" when the nation was in peril. [40]>If we compare Zheng Wuchang's words about Chinese painting with the petition he wrote to Chiang Kai-shek, we will find that the principles and emotions contained in the words are very similar. Undoubtedly, although his speeches about Chinese block letters and his speeches about Chinese paintings have different themes, the gist and spirit are exactly the same. Block letters are the same as Chinese paintings. In Zheng Wuchang's heart, they are important forces that carry the national spirit and maintain the unity of the nation. > Secondly, although Zheng Wuchang's petition to Chiang Kai-shek does give people the impression of political "speculation" to promote products, the broad political and cultural vision revealed in this petition is beyond the reach of ordinary printers and painters available. Zheng Wuchang's handwriting should have benefited from his extensive research in the political and cultural fields. Checking his writings, we will find that Zheng Wuchang, who is also the literary and historical editor of Zhonghua Book Company, is indeed not limited to fine arts. He has edited "History Textbook", "Geography Textbook", "Party Principles Textbook", "Three Principles of the People" (1929), also edited "The Problem of the Weak and Small Nationalities in the World" (1936), which is one of the Chinese Encyclopedias. This small book systematically introduces the status quo of weak and small nations all over the world, including Taiwan. Although the Chinese nation is not included in the book, in the context of such an era, the "Spring and Autumn Brushwork" of the Chinese nation is at stake. It's already on paper. [41]>When a nation is constantly bullied by foreign races, the attention to other "weak and small nations" is actually a projection of the special cultural psychology of that era. The "weak and small nations" Zheng Wuchang paid attention to just became The mirror image of the "Chinese nation" is reflected in a tortuous way, showing that China, a once great nation, is suffering the same bullying as the "weak nation". > Figure 10>Zheng Wuchang, "Gaoyin Map of Songxi", >1932>, ink and color on paper, >140.3>×>35.8 >cm, collection unknown. >Plate source: Shi Yunwen, "Zheng Wuchang", (Taipei: Yamo Cultural Enterprise Co., Ltd., >2008>), page >19>. >> >> One detail in the petition may be worth noting: the date Zheng Wuchang wrote to Chiang Kai-shek was January 29, 1935. Living and working in Shanghai, the Japanese army suddenly launched an attack on the 19th Route Army of the Kuomintang in Zhabei. This war, which is very close to Zheng Wuchang's home[42]>, lasted for more than a month. On March 3, the war ceased. On May 5, under the mediation of Britain, the United States, France, and Italy, the Chinese The signing of the "Songhu Armistice Agreement" will be considered as the end. During this period, Zheng Wuchang once painted a picture (Fig. 10)> of "Songxi Gaoyin Map", with the inscription on the upper left:> "Ink and ink left in the mountains are like smoke, and the mind is bored to send Zen painting. Who can kill a thief and throw a pen, and the Jiangnan war is raging. In February of the 21st year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was written in Jiaheli in the west of Shanghai, when Songhu resisted the Japanese The battle is fierce, and the rumble of cannons can be heard." [43]>> The Commercial Press was also hit hard. The library had been in operation for more than 30 years, and the Shanghai Oriental Library, which had a huge collection of 460,000 volumes, was set on fire by Japanese ronin. This situation is likely to surface again from time to time when Zheng Wuchang wrote the petition. It is obviously unreasonable to simply classify the petition written by such an intellectual with deep family and country feelings as political "speculation". It is inappropriate. It should be said that this is a reflection of the sense of responsibility of "everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world" in an artist. And his petition on Chinese block letters just became the epitome of the overall cultural worries of an era. > (unfinished, to be continued)>> > [1] This article is a phased achievement of the special fund project "Research on the History of Chinese Modern Graphic Design" for the basic scientific research business expenses of central universities. Thanks to Professor Xu Ping and the research team of the History Department of the School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts for writing this article Advice and help provided. >> [2] See "Jiangsu Education Weekly", Vol. 9, No. 7, 1934, p. 12. >> [3] The titles of related instructions are all based on Jiang Yu, with similarities and minor differences. See "Nanjing City Government Gazette", No. 139, 1934; Gazette, No. 377, 1934; Gazette of Guangdong Provincial Government, No. 255, 1934; Gazette of Anhui Provincial Government, No. 479, 1934; Gazette of Henan Provincial Government, No. 983, 1934; City Hall Bulletin, No. 143, 1934; Education Weekly, No. 7, Volume 9, 1934. In addition, the Shanghai Municipal Education Bureau also issued this order to the Shanghai Book Industry Association. "Decree from the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Education to the Shanghai Book Industry Association for the Ministry of the Interior to consult with various book covers, fonts used in newspapers, and chronology", 1934, file number S313-1-161-48, in the collection of Shanghai Municipal Archives. >> [4] This point can be obtained by comparing the names of the period of the Republic of China with some of the more important books of patterned characters in the Taisho and Showa periods of Japan. For example, Inaba Kosen, "Using the Maple to Decorate Characters" (Xingbunsha, 1912); Yajima Zhou Zhou's "The Great View of the Maple Characters" (Changbunkan Bookstore, 1926) and "Anatomy of the Maple Characters" (Changbunkan Bookstore, 1928) ); Shimizu Otowa, "Packaging Diagram and Italian Craftsman's Characters" (Jiangetsu Academy Publishing Department, 1927); Edited by Ben Matsu, "Modern Advertisement Typeface Collection" (Chengjintang, 1926); Wada Feita, "Decorative Characters "(Taiyangsha Decoration Research Institute, 1925) and so on. Most of the early Chinese pictorial writings and related articles were directly used according to Liang Qichao's "He Wen Han Reading Method", such as Qian Juntao's "Pattern Character Collection" (Shanghai: New Times Bookstore, 1933); Yifei and Yichen, "Fei The Complete Works of Dust Art Patterns and Characters", (Shanghai: Shanghai Meimei Art Society, 1933), etc. >> [5] Li Puyuan and others, "The History of Modern Chinese Art Development", the painting part was written by Liang De, (Shanghai: Liangyou Book Printing Company, 1936), pp. 26-27. Regarding the masthead font design of books and periodicals in the Republic of China, see my article "Journals of the Republic of China in the Perspective of Graphic Design History", edited by Chen Xiangbo and Xu Ping, "20th Century Chinese Graphic Design Literature Collection", (Nanning: Guangxi Fine Arts Publishing House, 2012), Pages 53-57. >> [6] Hirano Koga, Kawahata Naomichi, "Testimonies of Tracing Characters", (PDF version, 2005), http://www.screen.co.jp/ga_product/sento/pro/typography2/hk01/hk01_20. htm【Login on August 3, 2012】>> [7] Regarding the development of "art calligraphy" in the Republic of China and related issues, please refer to the "Modernism of Artistic Calligraphy" in Jiang Hua's "Research on Artistic Calligraphy" (Beijing: Doctoral Dissertation of Central Academy of Fine Arts, 2009), but this Discussions are clearly open to further revision and depth. >> [8] According to existing research, Zheng Wuchang should have taught Chinese painting at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts from the mid-1920s to 1933. See Chen Shiqiang, "Deep Homeland Love: Local Art Teaching, Academic Construction and Improvement of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts" and Shi Yang, "Research on the List of Teachers of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts", edited by Liu Weidong and Huang Dun, "Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts Research Album", (Nanjing : Nanjing University Press, 2010), p. 609; see also Zhang Hanyun, "Studies on Zheng Wuchang——Concurrently on Shanghai Art Groups in the Early Republic of China and Works on Art History in the Early Republic of China", (Taipei: Master Thesis, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, 1998), pp. 17-18. >> [9] Due to objective reasons, it has not been checked whether the original text was archived. The citation of this article comes from the forwarding of the "Henan Provincial Government Gazette", No. 1259, 1935. Zheng Wuchang's report, which was reprinted in the "Henan Provincial Government Gazette", originally had no punctuation, and the punctuation in this article was added by the author. >> [10] The original work "Marsh" should be a printing error. >> [11] The original "please" should be misprinted. >> [12]【Song】Written by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi, "New Book of Tang" Volume 45 "Election Records", (Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 1975), p. 1117. >> [13] [Song] Hong Mai, "Rong Zhai Essays" Volume 10 "Tang Shu Judgment", (Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1978), p. 127. >> [14] Ren Zhongqi, "Talking about the Price of Ancient Books", "Book Collector", No. 2, 2000, page 125; see also [English] Zhou Shaoming, "The Social History of Books - Books in the Late Chinese Empire and Scholars' Culture", translated by He Zhaohui, (Beijing: Peking University Press, 2009), pp. 24-25. >> [15] Lu Feikui, "The Origin of the Four Books of School Printing", "Reprinted Juzhen Imitation of the Song Edition Wukai Big Book of the Four Books", (Shanghai: Zhonghua Book Company, 1934), p. 3. Therefore, the so-called "imitation Song style" actually imitates the regular script style of the Song version (European style). In addition, on August 26, 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), the copyright license issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to Juzhen Fangsong Printing Publishing Co., Ltd. also stated "a type of copper mold movable type imitating Song and European style". >> [16][English] Zhou Shaoming, "The Social History of Books—Books and Scholars Culture in the Late Chinese Empire", pp. 12-22, pp. 28-35. >> [17] The Commercial Press has been influenced by the Japanese printing and publishing industry since its establishment. In 1903, it absorbed the investment from Jingangtang, a famous Japanese textbook publishing house, and became a Sino-Japanese joint venture. During this period, the publishing business was greatly influenced by Japan. In 1914, it lasted 11 years. See [Fa] Dai Ren, "Shanghai Commercial Press 1897-1949", translated by Li Tongshi, (Beijing: Commercial Press, 2000), pp. 8-13. >> [18] Regarding "Zhuji style" and "Xiuyingshe style", see Cao Zhenying and Qiu Cong, "Handbook of Practical Printing Typefaces", (Beijing: Printing Industry Press, 1994), p. 138. >> [19] Back cover of Issues 6 and 7 of "Oriental Miscellaneous Magazine", June and July of Guangxu 30. >> [20] Masazo Motoki, the father of modern movable type printing in Japan, met William Gambel, who presided over the creation of "Meihuazi" in Nagasaki, Japan in the 2nd year of Meiji (1869), learned electroplating technology, and gained The "Song Style" of Meihua Library was called "Ming Dynasty Style" by Shanghainese at that time, and Japan has inherited it to this day. In 1870, Motoki opened the Shinjuku Letterpress Factory in Nagasaki, which was later transferred to his disciple Tomiji Hirano due to poor management. Later, Hirano moved the business to Tokyo and changed its name to Tokyo Tsukiji Letterpress Factory. In order to further improve the movable type and finally complete the "Tsukiji style", Tomiji Hirano also sent a staff member of the company, Koda Xian, to Shanghai to study the movable type. In short, "Zhuji style" directly comes from "Meihuazi", and "Xiuyingshe style" is a new system and is also influenced by the former. See Cao Zhenying, Qiu Cong, "Handbook of Practical Printing Typefaces", p. 138; Liu Yuanman, "Modern Modern The Spread and Development of Movable Type Printing in the East", "Journal of Peking University" (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), No. 3, 2003, pp. 151-157; Zhang Xiumin, Han Qi, "History of Chinese Movable Type Printing", (Beijing: China Book Press, 1998), pp. 188-189. >> [21] The original work "Xue" is suspected to be a printing error. >> [22] "The First Draft of the Modern History of Chinese Printing" edited by Fan Muhan mentioned that the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government had stipulated that Chinese block letters should be used for printing textbooks. But the author has not yet found any historical data to support this statement. >> [23] For example, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty admired the running script of the "two kings", Kangxi loved Dong Qichang very much, and Qianlong admired Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy. See Yang Desheng, "Overview of Regular Script", (Nanjing: Jiangsu Ancient Books Publishing House, 1999), pp. 22 and 37. >> [24][US] Edited by Fairbank and Fei Weikai, "Cambridge History of the Republic of China" (Volume 2), translated by Liu Jingkun et al. (Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 1994), p. 125. >> [25] Chiang Kai-shek, "The Significance and Implementation of the New Life Movement", contained in "President Jiang Gong's Thoughts and Speeches", Volume 13 Speeches, p. 136; Wen Bo, "Reconstructing Legitimacy: Nanchang City Research on the New Life Movement (1934-1935), Academy Press, pp. 2-3. >> [26] Qin Yingjun, "Chiang Kai-shek and Chinese Traditional Culture", "Historical Monthly", No. 3, 1999. >> [27] Wen Bo, "Reconstructing Legitimacy: A Study of the New Life Movement in Nanchang (1934-1935), p. 5. >> [28]According to the recollection of some Nationalist government officials, the report submitted to Chiang Kai-shek must be in big block letters, and cannot be abbreviated or written horizontally, and Arabic characters such as 123 cannot be used. See Li Zhenglong, "New History of Taiwan", http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/lz914/article?mid=325【Accessed on January 5, 2012】>> [29] Hua Zongci, "The Creation and Development of Block Type", "Printing", No. 1, 1964, pp. 31-32. >> [30] See "Zheng Wuchang" (Shanghai: Shanghai Calligraphy and Painting Publishing House, 2000) with chronology, pp. 129-131. >> [31] Wu Tiesheng, "The Chinese I Know", edited by the editorial department of Zhonghua Book Company, "Recalling Zhonghua Book Company", (Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 2001), p. 34; about the founding of the Chinese regular script printing company Afterwards, see also Wu Tiesheng, Zheng Xiaokui, "Zheng Wuchang and the Chinese Block Printing Bureau", in the first series of "Publishing Historical Materials", edited by the editorial group of "Publishing Historical Materials" of Shanghai Publishers Association, (Shanghai: Xuelin Publishing House, 1982) , pp. 134-135. >> [32] Wu Tiesheng, "The Chinese People I Know", edited by the editorial department of Zhonghua Book Company, "Recalling Zhonghua Book Company", p. 33. Lu Feikui also explained Gao Yehou’s presiding role in the article "The Origin of the Addition of the Four Parts" written in the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924): "It was published by Gao Jun Yehou More than ten people, including Ding Jun, Zhusun, etc., are responsible for the school affairs", see "Reprinted Juzhen Imitation of the Song Edition Wukai Big Book Four Volumes as a Preparatory Sample". >> [33] See Chen Shining, "High Virtue and Prestige of Virtue and Art——Professor Xie Haiyan's Biography", "Journal of Nanjing University of the Arts (Art and Design Edition)", No. 01, 2005. >> [34] Pan Dexi recalled that Shanghai calligrapher and painter Fu Zhu (1881-1947) also participated in the writing of Chinese block script. Xiong Fengming, "Chinese Block Letters Printing Bureau and Painter Zheng Wuchang", "Printing Magazine", No. 2, 2000, p. 46. >> [35] He Buyun, "A Brief History of Chinese Movable Type", contained in "China Printing Yearbook 1981", edited by China Printing Technology Association, (Beijing: Printing Industry Press, 1982), p. 307. >> [36] Tan Eryang, "Gao Yuncheng Calligraphy Art and Social Influence", "Science and Technology Information", No. 10, 2010; calligrapher Liu Xiaoqing also pointed out that Gao Yuncheng is good at "Guange Style", see Xiong Fengming, " Chinese Block Letters Printing Bureau and Painter Zheng Wuchang", "Printing Magazine", No. 2, 2000, p. 46. >> [37] [Japanese] Kinichi Konda, "The Evolution of Song Dynasty Style and Ming Dynasty Style——History of Chinese Character Fonts" (2000), see: http://www.typeisbeautiful.com/kinkido-3/zh -hant【Login on August 5, 2012】>> [38] Zheng Wuchang, "Chinese Painting", "Cultural Construction", Issue 1, 1934, pp. 132-133. >> [39] Zheng Wuchang, "Chinese Painting", "Cultural Construction", No. 1, 1934, p. 133. >> [40] See Zheng Dahua, "The Theoretical Construction and Evolution of Modern Chinese Nationalism", in "Nationalism and Others", edited by Gao Ruiquan, (Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2011), pp. 45-56; Feng Zhaoji, "Chinese Nationalism, Conservatism and Modernity", in "Nationalism in Modern Chinese History", edited by Zheng Dahua and Zou Xiaozhan, (Beijing: Social Science Literature Publishing House, 2007), pp. 47-54. >> [41] Focusing on the survival and literary and artistic conditions of "weak and small nations" was a "universal" phenomenon in the intellectual circles at that time, and many related publications can be found, such as "Weak and Small Nationalities and the International" (1936) edited by Zhang Zhaorong ), the short story collection "Taoyuan" (1935) translated by Contradiction, "Selected Novels of Weak and Small Nationalities" translated by Hu Feng, etc. Special Issue on Weak and Minor Nationalities Literature. Among these publications, Zheng's book is also quite characteristic. >>Instructions from Nanchang Camp>
Figure 3The cover of the >1-3 issue of "Modern" magazine, designed by Qian Juntao, Shanghai: Published by Modern Magazine, >1932. >>>>>
Cheng Wuchang's Petition>
Figure 5The layout of the book printed by Juzhen imitating the Song edition by Zhonghua Book Company, from "The Poetry of Tang Girl Yu Xuanji", Shanghai: Zhonghua Book Company, >1929edition. >>>
Figure 6"Chinese Block Letterpress Typography Sample", Tianjin: Yongxing Co., Ltd., about>1930>. >>>Chiang Kai-shek’s Thoughts>
Figure 71941>Year>2>Month, an American reporter photographed Chiang Kai-shek who was in Chongqing and directed the war of resistance. The words written by Chiang Kai-shek should be: "The war of resistance must be won, and the founding of the country must be accomplished." >>>>>Zheng Wuchang: A "Traditionalist" in Crisis>>
Figure 8Zheng Wuchang, A Complete History of Chinese Painting,>(>Shanghai: Zhonghua Book Company,>1929)>, cover. Plate source: Collection of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Library. >>>
Figure 9Gao Yuncheng, "Gaoshu Xiaokai", Shanghai: Zhonghua Book Company, >1934> edition. >>>>
Typeface Family Country—Chinese Block Letters and National Consciousness in Modern Chinese Typeface Design (Part 1)
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