A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

After leaving Grandpa Lin's place, Su Fan went to the company, sat down at his computer, rubbed his hands together, and sighed, "Finally, I've made my move on Jay Chou. Here you go, 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion'!"

That's right, the song Su Fan took out was "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion," with lyrics by Vincent Fang, music by Chung Hsing-min, and sung by Jay Chou.

This song blends the charm of calligraphy into its melodious tune, making it perfectly suited to the current heated discussion surrounding calligraphy.

After preparing the lyrics, music, and arrangement, Su Fan got up and went to the recording studio.

Upon seeing this, the others, who seemed to know the place well, joined in.

Su Fan was recording inside, while the people outside, wearing listening headphones, gradually changed their expressions as they listened.

After the recording ended, He Xiaoxiao was the first to take off her headphones, looking thoughtful: "Don't you guys... feel that this song is a bit strange?"

Xie Siyu said, "It's not that it's strange, it's just... these lyrics, they're permeated with the scent of ink, what calligraphy, what brushstrokes, this is clearly calligraphy!"

Xu Meng said, "Have you guys been watching the internet lately? The calligraphy circle is buzzing with activity. The traditionalists and those performance artists are tearing each other apart like crazy."

Ma Xiaoya said, "I know, I know. There's also that mysterious master who wrote a piece of calligraphy. My old man said that it's something that could establish a school of thought, but nobody knows who wrote it. Now the internet is in an uproar."

He Xiaoxiao said, "Don't you think he's trying to do something by suddenly releasing a song about calligraphy at this time? Is it a response to the online debate?"

Xu Meng nodded: "Most likely. Think about it, this song has beautiful lyrics and melody, and it's full of traditional charm. Isn't that more touching than those dry arguments?"

Ma Xiaoya exclaimed, "While others are arguing heatedly online, President Su, on the other hand, quietly and effortlessly conveyed the beauty of calligraphy to people's hearts with just one song. You have to admire that level of artistry."

Xie Siyu muttered in confusion, "Does President Su have anything to do with that calligraphy dispute? I feel like he's being a bit too coincidental."

Upon hearing this, everyone became interested. They looked at each other, pondered for a long time, and finally shook their heads.

He Xiaoxiao waved her hand: "It shouldn't be directly related. If you ask me, he just simply can't stand those so-called artists."

Xu Meng nodded: "Yes, that makes sense. Perhaps they want to use this song to give proper calligraphy its due recognition."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

No one thought about it any further.

After all, it's a bit too far-fetched to ask them to connect their boss with the mysterious calligraphy work that's causing such a stir online.

After recording the song, Su Fan returned to his office.

He turned on his computer to see what was happening online.

Upon closer inspection, wow, the other group had started to fight back.

After the incident went viral online, those people not only didn't calm down, but instead, they became even more enraged. They organized themselves and began to concentrate their firepower, directly targeting Su Fan's highly praised new calligraphy style.

"The so-called establishment of a school of thought is nothing more than a few old guys in the circle entertaining themselves and praising each other. Look closely at that piece of calligraphy. The horizontal and vertical strokes are straight and orderly. At its core, it is still the old-fashioned stuff of Ouyang Xun, Liu Gongquan and Zhao Mengfu. They just pieced it together and dared to call it innovation? I think it doesn't even qualify as craftsmanship. At most, it is just a more neatly written artistic lettering."

"Forgive my bluntness, but that piece of calligraphy doesn't qualify as the work of a master. A true master's work should have a groundbreaking and awe-inspiring power. That kind of steady, conventional work is at best a testament to the skill of calligraphy practice, but it's still a long way from art. To include it on the list shows that the judges' aesthetic sense is flawed."

"To put it bluntly, it's just a publicity stunt. They deliberately don't sign their names, creating a persona of a mysterious master who's indifferent to fame and fortune, whetting everyone's appetite. Isn't this just using a hot topic for hype? If they're really capable, they should stand up openly, reveal their identities, and we can have a face-to-face competition. What kind of hero hides behind the scenes pretending to be a supernatural being?"

"A bunch of conservative old fogies, clinging to frameworks from hundreds of years ago, and calling it inheritance. The life of art lies in breakthroughs and subversion. That so-called new calligraphy style doesn't even dare to put down the brush. How can it be a breakthrough? In my opinion, it's just a high-sounding excuse for not daring to innovate."

……

Those who launched the attack were all so-called masters who usually create works in bizarre and outlandish ways.

These people, one after another, belittled Su Fan's calligraphy to the point of being worthless.

They slapped one label after another on her: artistic lettering, attention-seeking, and creating a persona.

In short, they simply cannot tolerate this calligraphy.

The reason why they cannot tolerate it is not hard to understand upon closer examination.

These people, through their unconventional and attention-grabbing performance art, have managed to gain some recognition and secure a place in the industry.

Their livelihood depends on the rhetoric of prioritizing innovation.

Only by elevating the concept of "breaking everything" to the highest level can their works, which lack genuine skill, find a foothold and be labeled as avant-garde.

But now, Su Fan's calligraphy has suddenly appeared, like a resounding slap in the face.

This calligraphy proves that true innovation can be rooted in tradition.

True innovation is built upon a solid foundation of old knowledge.

This is tantamount to exposing those people's true colors in front of everyone.

It turns out that innovation doesn't require abandoning tradition, nor does it require not holding a pen properly.

The more Su Fan's calligraphy is praised, the more their other works seem like a joke that can't be presented in public.

One is genuine innovation that is well-founded, convincing, and based on solid evidence.

One is fake art, which is baseless and pretentious.

Once these two are placed side by side for comparison, the difference in quality becomes immediately apparent.

Therefore, they absolutely cannot allow this calligraphy to become a universally recognized model of innovation.

If this calligraphy stands, their old methods will no longer hold water.

To put it bluntly, what they're attacking isn't just a piece of calligraphy.

What they desperately wanted to deny was that existence that was enough to expose their true forms.

Su Fan leaned back in his chair, seeing through all the twists and turns behind him, and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle: "They're getting anxious, really anxious!"

The more these people jump up and down, the more eager they are to smother that calligraphy in the mud, the more it shows that the calligraphy has struck their most vulnerable spot, the one they dare not let anyone see.