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Feng's calligraphic work

In 1984, Feng went to Leningrad (St. Petersburg of today's Russia) of the former Soviet Union to authenticate the hand-written manuscript of The Legend of Stone that is believed to have been done during reigns of EmperorsQianlong(1735-1795) and Jiaqing (1795-1820) during theQing Dynasty(1644-1911), a move that led to the signing of an agreement on China and the Soviet Union's co-publication of the book.

In 1988, he headed a delegation to Singapore for theA Dream of red MansionsCulture and Arts Exhibition" and gave lectures at the National University of Singapore. In 1991, he attended the International Sinology Conference held in Singapore and acted as vice chairman.

   "Knowledge Makes a Man Elegant and Venerable"

Feng Qiyong is not only cultivated in literature, arts and academic fields, but also highly accomplished inChinese calligraphyand painting. In fact, besides his research ofA Dream of Red Mansions, Feng has also been researching classic Chinese literature, Chinese opera, painting, andcalligraphyfor a long time. Actually, he once served as vice president of the Chinese Art Research Institute.

According to Feng, good calligraphic books are for scholars and poets, as well as the calligraphers. Good calligraphic works are done with much learning and cultural cultivation. The taste of an artwork depends on the artist's perception, and the latter is decided by the artist's cultural accomplishment. Well-informed of the rule, for several decades, Feng worked hard almost unceasingly at calligraphy and painting from since he was a little boy. However, he seldom showed his calligraphic works to others.