Shishu Su is a celebrated Chinese calligrapher. He is deputy head of the Calligraphy and Painting School at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association.
A master of calligraphy and engraving, Su took an interest in calligraphy during his childhood and learned from many famous masters such as Liu Boqin and Qi Gong. His calligraphy work, which features a strong personal style and an integration of Qin and Han dynasty (221BC-AD220) characteristics, is famous for its use of the zhuangshu and lishu styles.
Over the years, Su has worked as an editor of ancient calligraphy copybooks and calligraphy textbooks at the Cultural Relics Press and has received the Taofen Award, the highest national award for an editor, due to his achievement in editing calligraphy related books. He was elected as the chairman of the 7th convocation of Chinese Calligraphers Association and the honored member of the 10th convocation of Chinese National Association of Writers and Artists.
Su has also organized many social activities such as seminars on Chinese calligraphy, engraving and painting work in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Japan, as well as calligraphy and engraving competitions. In 2014, Su coordinated a calligraphy and painting exhibition in honor of the 110th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s birth. The exhibition featured 100 paragraphs of Deng’s literary work, which 100 calligraphers rendered in different styles. It also included 10 paintings, including a portrait of Deng, as well as exquisite Chinese landscapes.
Su is devoted to charity, and has donated works worth millions to people in Yushu county in Gansu Province since the earthquake in 2010.