Imperial Copy of Su Shi's Letter, Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799), Qing dynasty. Folding fan, ink on paper, 16.5 x 47 cm © National Palace Museum.

Hongli, known by his temple name Gaozong and more often by his reign name Qianlong, was on the throne for 60 years. Highly knowledgeable in Chinese culture, he was also a gifted writer and enjoyed composing prose and poetry. He was a capable painter and especially practiced calligraphy. His poetry and calligraphy, also appearing in engravings, are particularly numerous. This folding fan originally was a letter written by Su Shi to his friend Chen Jichang with New Year greetings. It was engraved and also appears in "Calligraphy of the Kuaixue Hall" and "Calligraphy of the Sanxi Hall," the original now in the Beijing Palace Museum. Though a copy, it reveals Qianlong's precision in brushwork with his full and beautiful calligraphy.