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Size:Length:52 x Width:151 (cm)

Size description：34×116 (畫心）

Introduction：Ni Tuan-chiu (1916–2012) was born in Teng County (now Tengzhou City), Shandong Province. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the Central Political School (the forerunner of today's National Chengchi University) in 1946, studying under the statesman Wang Chung-yu. A classical Chinese scholar and calligrapher, he served as a policy advisor and senior counselor to the Presidential Office and was personally awarded the second-class Order of Brilliant Star by the President. He served for many years as literary secretary to General Ho Ying-chin, and was subsequently frequently called upon to compose inscribed plaques, citations, and commendations for the Presidential Office. Distinguished as the oldest civil servant in history, he was frequently described as a "national treasure." In the early years of his career on the mainland, he served as secretary at the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission in Nanjing; following the central government's relocation to Taiwan, he served in the Legislative Yuan, advancing from secretary and section head to specially appointed secretary. Despite changes in political power and the shifting ecological landscape of domestic politics, his experience and background made him indispensable to two successive heads of state—an exceptional distinction. His biography of Ho Ying-chin, running to over one million Chinese characters, is widely recognized as a thorough and reliable account. Over the course of his career, he worked for a total of twenty-five years in the Legislative Yuan, until his retirement as a senior legislator.

His specialty was composing inscribed plaques, dedications, citations, and joint communiqués with foreign states written on behalf of the President, as well as texts for the spring and autumn memorial ceremonies; any official document or communiqué issued from the Presidential Office passed through Ni Tuan-chiu's hands, emerging polished to perfection. His mastery of classical Chinese prose and poetry—and his deep engagement with Peking opera and Kun Opera—was extraordinary.

He was also a distinguished calligrapher of the modern era, with an elegant and individual style of his own, particularly noted for his "finger writing"—using a finger in place of a brush—a singular accomplishment, and the seekers of his calligraphy were many. The semi-cursive script of this work is vigorous and beautiful; Ni was a master of the parallel prose style of the "four-and-six" form, and his calligraphic manner was refined and graceful, entirely his own—a flowing influence that moves the viewer. Even in advanced age, his grip remained steady and assured, and his brush moved freely and without constraint.

Accession Number:PT09000100

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