Yang Lien (1572-1625) wrote this draft in 1624 as Censor to impeach the high official Wei Chung-hsien. Composed in the third lunar month, it was presented to the emperor in the sixth month. Yang died, however, in prison in the seventh month of the following year. Written in small running script, it is composed of 3,286 characters. When Yang wrote it, he had grown despondent over the decline at court. As a result, he wrote in a straightforward manner without striving for technical perfection, creating a simple and natural manner. Calligraphy is a reflection of the artist. If a person is lofty, so will the calligraphy. The beauty here is comparable to that of Yen Chen-ch'ing's Draft of a Requiem for My Nephew, also in the Museum collection.
This work was donated from the Yü-ting-ning Studio of former NPM director Chin Hsiao-yi.
