Collections of Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society and China Sigillography Museum

Founded in the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1904), Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society is the oldest literati society in China and the earliest professional seal engraving academic group at home and abroad.

The site of Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society is located at the western foot of Gushan Hill in the West Lake Scenic Area, bounded by Bai Causeway to the south, Xiling Bridge to the west, and West Lake to the north. It covers an area of 5,950 square meters and has a total floor area of 1,090.29 square meters. It is a key cultural relics protection unit in the country. The site includes many ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with elegant gardens, secluded scenery, a collection of cultural landscapes, and inscriptions on the cliffs which can be seen everywhere. It has the reputation of being "the most beautiful among the lake and the mountains".

Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society was initiated and established by Zhe School seal engravers, Ding Ren, Wang Ti, Wu Yin, Ye Ming and others. In 1913, Wu Changshuo, a giant in the modern art world, became the society's first president. Thanks to his great reputation, the society attracted a number of famous seal engravers. At that time, elites were clustered in the society. Members were all masters in seal engraving, calligraphy, art appreciation and collection, archaeology, literature and history, etc. Former presidents include Wu Changshuo, Ma Heng, Zhang Zongxiang, Sha Menghai, Zhao Puchu, Qi Gong and Rao Zongyi. As of December 2021, Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society has 510 members (including 43 honorary members) from nearly 30 provinces/cities/autonomous regions, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan in China, as well as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, France, Sweden, Canada and other countries.

Since its establishment, Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society has always been engaged in classical art exploration as a modern association organization, and advocated the diversity of art with a free operating concept, which continues its original gathering traditions, that is, regular gatherings at every spring and autumn, every fifth and tenth anniversary and other irregular gatherings. Each year, the Gushan Hill site serves as the center for ceremonies honoring the sages of the seal engraving, exhibitions of the members' works and collections, academic seminars and exchanges. Poetry chanting, writing, versifying, art appreciation, and tea tasting are all available. It continues to vividly and completely preserve cultural forms with a traditional literary temperament in a modern cultural environment where traditional culture has waned.

In addition to the creation and study of seal engraving, calligraphy and painting arts, Xiling Seal Engravers' Society has made important achievements in the fields of cultural relics collection and research, editing and publishing, and foreign cultural exchanges. Located by Xiling Bridge in Gushan Hill, China Sigillography Museum is the only professional museum in China dedicated to the study of seal engraving, and the society's library specializes in collecting books on seal engraving, antiquities, calligraphy and painting for the future art appreciation and research of peers. Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society has collected, edited, and published a large number of seal stamps, inscriptions, and works on seal study, both at home and abroad. It also focuses on the inheritance, popularization and promotion of the art of seal engraving. Since the 1980s, it has hosted large-scale professional competitions, such as the seal engraving evaluation exhibition and the international seal engraving and calligraphy exhibition. In recent years, Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society has also held large-scale international art work selection and creation events, exhibitions and seminars, including Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society international art festival and “Centenary of Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society • China Seal” large-scale work selection, having a wide influence in the seal study circle at home and abroad.

Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society was registered in 2004 with the approval of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In 2006, the "Chinese Seal Engraving (Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society)" was inscribed on the first representative list of national intangible cultural heritage. In 2009, the "Chinese Seal Engraving" led by Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society was successfully inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which further established Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society's status as a representative organization of seal engraving inheritance and an international seal study center. Up to now, Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society has been adhering to the principle of "preserving and studying seals as well as calligraphy and paintings", integrating poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal engraving, and has become the one with the longest history, the highest achievement and the widest influence in the study of seal engraving at home and abroad.

China Sigillography Museum (中国印学博物馆) is the first professional sigillography museum, which was founded by Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society (the oldest, most successful and influential folk art association which serves as a wonderful place to study engraving, painting and calligraphy.) The museum serves the functions of documentation collection, historical relics display and academic exchange. The strong academic ambiance and picturesque natural scenery make the museum the national-level garden-like museum that it is. Located within the old site of Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society, the main building of the museum covers an area of 1300 sq m and since its opening in 1999, it has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors.

It includes nine showrooms that display imperial seals, epigraphic art, painting and calligraphy, sigillographic art, seal stone, Wu Changshuo's works and the history of Xiling. The rare historical relics and art treasures in China Sigillography Museum total more than 500 and 300 hundred pieces respectively.

Collections:

Official Seal of the Han Dynasty

With the development of ancient seals, during the Western Han Dynasty, the social application of seals became more extensive, and various forms were perfected. The seal development has entered a period of prosperity. The official rank and salary indicated by official seals are reflected in the seals' material, pattern, ribbon color, and seal text. The seals of this period have a balanced and even layout and a square character structure, which appeared dignified, firm and elegant, and became the mainstream aesthetics of Han seals. During the Han Dynasty, Wang Mang reorganized and established the Xin Dynasty, changing the Han law and applying the five-character, six-character, seven-character, and nine-character seal texts with well-proportioned structures, neat calligraphy, and rounded strokes. After Liu Xiu established the Eastern Han Dynasty, he restored the official system of the Western Han. In the early stage, it continued to use the law of the Western Han Dynasty, and then adopted a more casual law in the mid and late periods, which gradually became unrestrained.

The Minority Seal Issued by Wei and Jin Dynasties

Amid the fusion, exchange and conflict of ancient Chinese ethnic groups, seals were considered to be the symbol of the political status of the Central Plains dynasty and the evidence of its relationship with the surrounding ethnic groups. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the central government gave seals to remote ethnic groups, involving the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Qiang, Di, etc. These official seals are important materials for studying the relationship between the central government and various ethnic groups at that time, and they are also a unique part of the official seal system.

Seal of the Warring States Period

Ancient Chinese seals sprouted in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC — 1046 BC). During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770 BC -221 BC), the social application of seals became more and more widespread, and the production of seals entered a prosperous period. The variety of shapes, characters, and styles in different regions made it a splendid chapter in the art of Chinese seals. The characters on the Seal of the Warring States Period are unrestrained; The layout is well-proportioned and the forms are varied, forming a variety of seal aesthetics. The rich forms, techniques, and languages used on the seals demonstrate the aesthetic and development direction of the age.