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ZHENG XIAOXU Chinese 1860-1938 Ink Calligraphy

Currency:USD Category:Antiques Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 3,500.00 USD
ZHENG XIAOXU Chinese 1860-1938 Ink Calligraphy
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Ink on paper roll, featuring Chinese calligraphy in regular script, signed and attr. Zheng Xiaoxu (Chinese, 1860-1938), inscribed with 1 artist seal, 28 x 33 cm. Zheng Xiaoxu was a Chinese diplomat and calligrapher who notably collaborated with the Japanese government in an attempt at restoring the Qing dynasty. Born on April 2, 1860 in Suzhou, China, he passed the imperial examinations in 1882, and began working for Puyi the last Emperor of China. In 1912, when the Republic of China was established, he refused to serve the republic and retired from his high-level position. After relocating to Shanghai, he began to develop a deeper interest in calligraphy and poetry. During the late 1920s, Zheng worked with both Chinese and Japanese forces interested in securing the restoration of Qing rule. Zheng later played an important role in the establishment of the Japanese-sponsored state of Manchukuo in the Manchuria region of China, where he served as the country’s first prime minister. Despite this appointment, Zheng often clashed with the Japanese, who eventually pressured him into resigning his post in 1935. He died on March 28, 1938 in Hsinking, Manchukuo (present-day Changchun, China). PROVENANCE: Property of a gentleman (East Toronto, Canada)