Winner of the 2022 Hengshan Awards: Biennial Awards for Calligraphy Research and Criticism Announced Showcasing the Contemporary Perspectives of Calligraphy Research and Criticism

To facilitate discourse, research, and critical examination of the art of calligraphy, the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts (TMoFA) commenced the acceptance of submissions for the 2022 Hengshan Awards: Biennial Awards for Calligraphy Research and Criticism (the Hengshan Awards). The submission period was from September 15 to 30, 2022.

 

The Hengshan Awards are divided into two categories: one for research essays and the other for critiques. Submissions are invited for articles written within the past three years that have not been formally published or previously awarded. Individuals are welcome to participate in both categories simultaneously. We encourage participation from members of the public and researchers who are interested in calligraphy, regardless of nationality, place of residence, or age, to join and contribute to the diverse landscape of research and critique on calligraphy.

 

The research essay category offers a top prize of NTD 150,000, with a merit award of NTD 30,000; the critiques category offers a top prize of NTD 100,000, with a merit award of NTD 20,000. The winning essays and critiques will be honored at the award ceremony and will also be edited and published.

For this year's Hengshan Awards, a judging panel consisting of 10 experts and art critics from Japan, the US, China, and Taiwan meticulously selected the winners through two rounds of judging. In the research essays category, the judges include renowned calligraphy scholars Chu Hui-liang, He Yen-chuan from the National Palace Museum (Taiwan), Aida Yuen Wong from Brandeis University, Kanno Chiaki from the University of Tsukuba, and Hsiao Chung-jui from National Cheng Kung University. For the critiques category, the judges are Li Ssi-hsien from Tung Hai University, art critic Kao Chien-hui, Chen Zhongkang from the Chinese National Academy of Arts, Kaya Noriko from Nara University of Education, and Hsiung Yi-ching from Huafan University.

The panel recognized six standout articles among the submissions. One notable achievement is Mai Ching-yueh's “Revealing the Secret Improvement Process of Yu Youren's Standard Cursive Script and Distinguishing True and False on the Special Editions”, which claimed first place in the Calligraphy Research category.

 

Additionally, three other papers received the Merit Award: “A Study on The Research and Application of Calligraphers' on Ancient ‘Folk Calligraphy’ in the Late Qing and Early Republic Eras - Shen Zengzhi as Example” by Chiang Ya-hui, “Research on the Origin and Development of Cursive Configuration in Sun Guoh-Tyng's Shu Pu” by Chang Li-lien, and “A Preliminary Study on Using the Optical 3D Scanning Technology to Simulate Traditional Stone Tablet Inscriptions Rubbings and to Restore the Damaged Characters: Taking the Fu Kang An Ji Gong Monument in Chiayi City as an Example” by Chung Yueh-lung.

 

In the Calligraphy Criticism category, two articles were awarded the Merit Award “The Continuing Intention - From the Debate between Tradition and Modernity to the Creation of Cursive Script” by Lee Tsui-ying and “The Crisscrossing of Contemporary Calligraphy - a Review of Developments and Possibilities” by Fung Yee-lick Eric. The submissions covered a wide range of topics, spanning from ancient to contemporary calligraphy, thereby showcasing remarkable diversity in perspectives and the profoundness of contemporary calligraphy research and criticism.
 

Chiu Cheng-sheng, Director of Taoyuan's Department of Cultural Affairs emphasized that TMoFA operates on the foundation of combining localization and internationalization. The Hengshan Awards serve to both cultivate local culture and expand international connections, with the goal of becoming an iconic calligraphy award in East Asia. The Hengshan Awards have become a significant annual event for TMoFA and the calligraphy community. The Department of Cultural Affairs remains committed to promoting diverse activities that foster local and international connections.

TMoFA founded the Hengshan Awards in 2020, and the two editions of the awards have generated remarkable research papers. The establishment of these awards and the publication of paper compilations are anticipated to ignite greater interest in historical research and art criticism of calligraphy, leading to further breakthroughs in calligraphy research and criticism in Taiwan and even on an international level.