Where are Xi Jinping’s works of calligraphy? Collector laments a disappearing Chinese art form

I grew up in a very different China than the one that exists today. The China of my youth faced years of Japanese invasion and occupation followed by civil war. It wasn’t until after I moved to the United States that the People’s Republic was established and a new nation began to take shape.

Over the decades, China has gone through many changes. Some, like the economic reforms and opening up, benefited the people. At the same time, however, much of traditional culture has been diluted or lost.

My father was one of the last to take the imperial system exams before they were abolished, in 1905. Passing them required a deep understanding of the Confucian classics. High regard was also placed on understanding literature, poetry, philosophy and the arts. The Four Treasures – brush, ink, paper and ink stone – denoted the important role mastering calligraphy played in Chinese culture.

Even after the examination system and the Qing dynasty itself had passed into the history books, scholar officials remained prevalent. Renowned post-imperial leaders – among them Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek and even Mao Zedong – were prolific in the traditional arts and became well known for their calligraphy. The same cannot be said today. Where are Xi Jinping’s works of calligraphy?

My father, Wang Shu-chang, was a Nationalist general, commander of the Beijing-Tianjin garrison (1930-35) and governor of Hebei province, but he still made the time to practise calligraphy and appreciate Chinese art.