Wuhu Tiehua 芜湖铁画 Wuhu Iron Painting

“The Song of Tiehua” from Pingluo An Yiji (The Collection of the Bequeathed Writing of Pingluo Temple) by Liang Tongshu (1754-1755)

Liang Tongshu  (1723-1814) was native of Qiantang, Zhejiang. His father Liang Shizheng was an influential advisor to Emperor Qianlong. Liang was bestowed a jinshi title in 1752 and recruited as an instructor-in-waiting in Beijing. In 1762, he decided to leave Beijing for his hometown Hangzhou after his father passed away. In the rest of his years in Hangzhou, Liang devoted all his time to calligraphy and was best-known as one of four leading calligraphers in eighteenth century China. In addition to calligraphy, Liang was also interested in other arts and crafts. In 1755, Liang discovered the iron painting lantern in Beijing. Inspired by tiehua, Liang composed the first version of The Song of Tiehua, in the format of ancient lyrics genre (guti shi). In the next one hundred fifty years, the Song of Tiehua has been responded to by his contemporaries and later generations. In many ways, the Song of Tiehua established the fame of Tang Peng and Wuhu tiehua in the Jiangnan literary community. Without The Song of Tiehua, both Tang Peng and Wuhu tiehua might have already been lost in history. Liang composed the poem, The Song of Tiehua, twice around 1754 and 1756, respectively. Therefore, the poems are named The Former Song of Tiehua and the Latter Song of Tiehua respectively.

Preface:

Tang Peng, style name Tianchi, is a blacksmith of Wuhu. He can hammer iron into painting. Orchids, bamboos, insects, and grasses, none of them are less vivid than they appear. Framed, tiehua appears as a screen; when four tiehua are put together, they become a lantern. They are called iron painting lanterns. Tang’s marvelous hammering skill is unprecedented. After Tang passes away, his method is gone. Occasionally, someone emulates him for tiehua production. Nonetheless, they all lost the authentic skills of Tang.