Li Yiqiao / Seven-character Couplet in Running Script 1931
Li Yiqiao 1883-1945
Display size:125 X 43.5 cm
Collection Number:2014-1-0180
Li Yiqiao (1883-1945), whose given name was Zutang, with the courtesy name Xue Xiang, and another alias Yiye. He hailed from the Li Xijin family of Beimen in Tek-chhàm. He was a renowned poet, calligrapher, and engaged in the collection and trading of artworks. He laid a solid foundation in Chinese literature from a young age and actively participated in literary activities in Northern Taiwan and in Japanese calligraphy exhibitions, being selected multiple times for exhibitions by the Shodokai and Taito Calligraphy Institutes. In 1928, he proposed the establishment of the "Hsinchu Painting and Calligraphy Enrichment Society" along with other art enthusiasts. This couplet was presented as a congratulatory gift for the wedding of the renowned Hsinchu painter, Zeng Yu-lan in 1931. Both Li Yiqiao and Zeng Yu-lan were prominent literati of Hsinchu, and this couplet represents the poetic exchanges and camaraderie among literati of the time.