Song Xiang completed this 12-panelled calligraphy with vigorously rendered but elegant cao shu. The composition and the swiftness of the calligraphy, which consists of the opening passages of Wenxin Diaolong matches the flow of the essay, which was heralded as the first literary critique ever written. Its size makes the calligraphy a rare piece, for most calligraphy are confined to limited numbers of panels.Cao shu, a cursive script, is a style of Chinese calligraphy featuring simplified structure and connected strokes.
