Image: Yan Zhenqing - Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew

Description: During the An Lushan Rebellion, rebel forces invaded and sacked Changshan (常山). At the time, Yan Gaoqing (顏杲卿, 692–756)—Yan Zhenqing's cousin—served as the Magistrate of Changshan. Both he and his son Yan Jiming (顏季明) perished during the conflict. Yan Zhenqing alluded to the incident in this work: "Traitorous officials did not rescue [them], so a lone town was surrounded. A father and son perished, and their nest was destroyed." 「賊臣不救，孤城圍逼，父陷子死，巢傾卵覆。」 After the conflict, Yan Zhenqing sent his nephew Yan Quanming (顏泉明)—Yan Gaoqing's surviving son—to make funerary arrangements as well as prepare the return of family members, subordinate officials, and servants. Under these circumstances, Yan Zhenqing composed and wrote this work. It is done in running script. It was probably a preliminary draft for a more formal composition.
Title: Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew 祭姪文稿
Credit: Decipher the Calligraphy. NPM's Anime Carnival (exhibit). Taipei: National Palace Museum.
Author: Yan Zhenqing 顏真卿 (709–785)
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No