西泠印社：一段不老的傳奇故事

118年前，晚清時(shí)局動(dòng)蕩，大廈將傾。四個(gè)二十多歲、醉心于金石篆刻的年輕人決定不顧外界紛擾，為熱愛而捐出家財(cái)，成立一個(gè)“保存金石，研究印學(xué)，兼及書畫”的印社，據(jù)點(diǎn)就設(shè)在杭州西湖孤山之上，取名西泠。

這四個(gè)年輕人是丁仁、吳隱、王福庵、葉為銘，他們也被后世稱為“西泠四君子”。

這是西泠印社的歷史開端，但不是傳奇的全部。在眾多的歷史文化積淀中卓然而立、已逾百年的西泠印社，似一道美麗印記，深深地鐫刻在歷史之中。

百年西泠 代代傳承

沿著白堤一路往西，孤山南麓，過圓洞門拾級(jí)而上，眼前茂林掩映，亭臺(tái)樓閣錯(cuò)落有致，泉石映帶曲徑通幽，這里便是西泠印社。

西泠印社成立十年未曾設(shè)立社長(zhǎng)一職，四君子都無(wú)心于此。直至1913年，四人力邀當(dāng)時(shí)傳奇、晚清民國(guó)時(shí)期藝術(shù)大師吳昌碩成為西泠印社首任社長(zhǎng)。在其“石鼓篆書第一人”“文人畫最后的高峰”的名望之下，西泠印社吸引了海內(nèi)外文人學(xué)者的目光，得以日漸壯大。

吳昌碩之后，西泠印社的歷任社長(zhǎng)要么德高望重、要么地位特殊：第二任社長(zhǎng)是故宮博物院院長(zhǎng)馬衡，曾在孤山上設(shè)立全國(guó)文物保護(hù)會(huì)浙江分會(huì)，以保護(hù)西泠印社;第三任社長(zhǎng)張宗祥是浙江圖書館館長(zhǎng)、浙江省第一屆人大代表，抗戰(zhàn)勝利百?gòu)U待興時(shí)第一個(gè)提議恢復(fù)印社……若非當(dāng)世大師，寧可社長(zhǎng)空懸——百多年間，社員亦不到400人，且多為名家。

抗戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)之后，印社中人皆匆匆舉家遷往上海避難。臨走之前，印社被托付給一位名叫葉六九的朋友。葉六九一守就是八年，最艱難的時(shí)候他把牌匾摘下，把藏品都埋入地下，帶著全家一步也沒離開過孤山。直到抗戰(zhàn)勝利，他把一個(gè)幾乎毫發(fā)未傷的印社還了回去。

印社成立第十年，在浙江省立第一師范學(xué)校任教的李息加入，成為早期成員。李息，又名李叔同，后來(lái)剃度出家成為弘一法師，在每日經(jīng)過的孤山墻壁上鑿了個(gè)洞，把自己的93枚印章放進(jìn)去，全部捐給了西泠印社。

收藏家、銀行家葛昌楹比李叔同晚幾年加入印社。 他收藏了許多名貴印譜，但是自己并不刻印。有人質(zhì)疑他不刻印怎么能入西泠印社？于是吳隱和丁仁特意請(qǐng)吳昌碩親手為他刻了一方?。何縻鲇∩缰腥?。這即肯定了他的身份，也給了年輕人莫大的榮耀。

后來(lái)，這方印成為一種更公開的身份象征，出現(xiàn)在每一個(gè)社員的入社證書上。

西泠印社就這樣在一代代人的努力、一個(gè)個(gè)君子的承諾和堅(jiān)守中留存下來(lái)，逐漸成為金石領(lǐng)域的圣山。

天下第一名社

西泠印社之所以成為“天下第一名社”，很大程度上源于其在海外尤其是東亞文化圈影響深遠(yuǎn)。

甲午戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)之前，日本著名書法家日下部鳴鶴來(lái)到浙江尋求王羲之的書法墨寶，與吳昌碩結(jié)交為友，吳昌碩為其刻過許多方印章，他的書法也深受吳昌碩影響。

日下部鳴鶴回到日本后，創(chuàng)立書道鳴鶴流，以吳昌碩為源泉。100多年后的今天，鳴鶴流弟子們依然秉持著一個(gè)宗旨 ：不學(xué)習(xí)吳昌碩的篆書，就無(wú)法成為真正的文字學(xué)家。1989年，日本鳴鶴流的傳人來(lái)到西泠印社，立下了一塊“吳昌碩日下部鳴鶴結(jié)交百年紀(jì)念銘志”碑。

日下部鳴鶴有一個(gè)學(xué)生叫河井仙郎，在老師的引薦下來(lái)到中國(guó)，加入西泠印社并拜吳昌碩為師，最終成為日本近代篆刻藝術(shù)的發(fā)起人。而河井仙郎的弟子們一直占據(jù)著日本書道界的領(lǐng)袖地位，也一直是吳昌碩的研究者和推廣者。

河井仙郎的學(xué)生小林斗龕在1981年成為西泠印社的名譽(yù)社員。2003年，小林斗龕把那枚遺失了的吳昌碩“西泠印社中人”印章送還——這是他花高價(jià)拍賣得來(lái)的，百年社慶之際物歸原處。

真心熱愛以及感激和崇敬面前，錢財(cái)不值得吝惜。

1992年，法國(guó)人龍樂衡第一次登上孤山，1998年拜入西泠印社劉江門下。他是蘇州大學(xué)的客座教授，在法國(guó)完成了昆曲《十五貫》的法文翻譯。彈琴，習(xí)書法篆刻，穿長(zhǎng)衫，生活得像個(gè)中國(guó)古代知識(shí)分子。

日本北海道書畫領(lǐng)軍人物大門玉泉來(lái)到向往已久的孤山后說：“在這里，我覺得我看到了起點(diǎn)，看到了源頭?！?/p>

正如2012年西泠印社第七任社長(zhǎng)饒宗頤拜謁孤山時(shí)題下的那幅字：播芳六合。意在西泠印社播撒文化之芳香于宇宙六合，無(wú)遠(yuǎn)弗屆。

孤山不孤，君子有鄰。從故宮博物院到敦煌莫高窟再到西泠印社，傳統(tǒng)文化正在當(dāng)代社會(huì)生活和語(yǔ)境下試圖探尋出更廣闊的空間和更多的可能，我們應(yīng)當(dāng)為此歡欣鼓舞。兼容并包，求新求變，這是傳統(tǒng)文化生生不息的內(nèi)核。它們從不應(yīng)被捧上神壇，被高山仰止或慨然棄之。它們就是當(dāng)下的生活，就是此刻。

中國(guó)印學(xué)博物館

1999年，西泠印社建造了專門收藏印章的“中國(guó)印學(xué)博物館”，這是一座國(guó)家級(jí)專業(yè)博物館，也是西泠印社的“展示窗口”，集文獻(xiàn)收藏、文物展示、學(xué)術(shù)交流于一體。

博物館辟有歷代璽印廳、篆刻流派廳、書畫廳，以歷史演變和印學(xué)發(fā)展為脈絡(luò)，陳列了各個(gè)時(shí)期不同的印章種類，其中有不少藏品為各個(gè)時(shí)期或流派的經(jīng)典之作。書畫廳會(huì)不定期舉辦各種與印學(xué)相關(guān)的藝術(shù)品展覽，不斷拓展領(lǐng)域，豐富內(nèi)容，向世人展現(xiàn)獨(dú)特高雅的中國(guó)印學(xué)文化。

談到印的歷史，繞不開的還有在河南安陽(yáng)殷墟發(fā)現(xiàn)的三方銅璽。印在中國(guó)文化中一直是個(gè)活躍的角色。上至天子達(dá)官的璽印，下至平民百姓的印章，在許多傳說故事里，都可以找到它的身影。

雖然，古埃及、巴比倫、蘇美爾等多個(gè)文明形態(tài)也曾出現(xiàn)過契刻形式的文字刻符，但以這種形式誕生的文字體系一直傳承延續(xù)至今的唯有中國(guó)的印章，并且成為歷史與文明的重要載體之一。

在中國(guó)印學(xué)博物館二樓，有著明清以來(lái)各位篆刻大家的作品。其中一枚刻有“琴罷倚松玩鶴”內(nèi)容的印章，所呈現(xiàn)的是一種中國(guó)文人士大夫的生活理想和審美，早已脫離印章原來(lái)的實(shí)用性，成為一種藝術(shù)的珍藏品。

在這樣的歷史文脈中，我們才能領(lǐng)悟西泠印社為什么會(huì)成為一道文化印記。

首任社長(zhǎng)吳昌碩曾說：“浙派盛行于世，社之立，蓋有來(lái)由矣?！庇∩绲漠a(chǎn)生正是得益于印學(xué)的興盛，尤其是印學(xué)浙派的形成。清乾隆時(shí)，以丁敬為首的“西泠八家”崛起，風(fēng)格古樸蒼勁，力追秦漢，稱雄印壇100余年，成為印學(xué)史上的一個(gè)高峰。

從博物館出來(lái)，繞過山脊，后山石坊旁的巨石碣“百年名社，千秋印學(xué)”映入眼簾，這是由啟功社長(zhǎng)在西泠印社百年誕辰之際所題寫的。站在碑前細(xì)細(xì)品味這8個(gè)大字，感慨萬(wàn)千。西泠印社之印，對(duì)于構(gòu)筑一部完整的中國(guó)印學(xué)史，重要性不言而喻。

仰賢、觀樂、四照閣

西泠印社地方不大，卻有4座亭子，最早的一座是仰賢亭。

仰賢亭為明代故跡，但年久為墟?，F(xiàn)有建筑為1905年印社初創(chuàng)時(shí)期所建。1905年春（清光緒三十一年），印社諸君筑亭于此。亭內(nèi)陳列有介紹丁敬、鄭板橋、趙之謙等印人的石刻畫像和題贊，亭的三面都懸有匾額，其中正面圓洞門門楣“仰賢亭”匾額為趙樸初題寫，東門“仰賢亭”匾額由王個(gè)簃書，南墻外“仰賢亭”匾額是1979年9月沙孟海所書。

站在亭內(nèi)，凝望歷代印社名家的石刻畫像和題贊，仿佛還能窺見前輩們?cè)诖肆鬟B的時(shí)光。

在西泠印社西側(cè)，游客不會(huì)不留意到一個(gè)石室。這是一座外表呈正方形的全石建筑，鐵柵欄門上加了鎖，門內(nèi)隱約可見一座石碑。這是印社的鎮(zhèn)社之寶——“三老諱字忌日碑”，它是現(xiàn)存最古老的漢文石質(zhì)碑刻，其歷史意義和文化價(jià)值非同尋常。

1921年秋，有日本商人以8000大洋購(gòu)買石碑并欲運(yùn)往國(guó)外。華夏古物外流，許多人坐不住了。時(shí)任西泠印社社長(zhǎng)吳昌碩利用自己的社會(huì)影響力，積極倡議并捐獻(xiàn)財(cái)物，不到一個(gè)月的時(shí)間，就籌措到了65人捐贈(zèng)的11270大洋。

當(dāng)時(shí)石碑都已經(jīng)被運(yùn)到船上了，但最后還是被重金贖了回來(lái)。當(dāng)年那批西泠印社社員不遺余力地?fù)尵葒?guó)家歷史文化遺存，正是西泠印社貫穿始終的追求，超越了單純的印學(xué)研究范疇。

每逢春天，印社同人都會(huì)相約回到這里，合仰先賢、切磋藝事。在祭先賢文抑揚(yáng)頓挫的宣讀聲中，整齊隊(duì)列，禱祝叩首敬香鞠躬。

觀樂樓，1920年由印社創(chuàng)始人之一吳隱的重孫吳善慶捐資所建，用來(lái)紀(jì)念吳氏祖先季札，丁仁撰文，吳昌碩書丹，勒碑記之。季札是春秋時(shí)吳國(guó)的公子，曾訪問魯國(guó)，請(qǐng)求聆聽觀看周朝等的音樂舞蹈，觀樂就由此得名。

1927年夏，吳昌碩曾小住西泠印社觀樂樓，1957年觀樂樓辟為吳昌碩紀(jì)念館。一樓大門安放吳昌碩半身銅像，銅像兩側(cè)陳列著吳昌碩的部分遺作和相關(guān)資料。二樓陳列著吳昌碩生前使用的書案、日用家具以及歷代社長(zhǎng)作品等，同時(shí)作為接待重要來(lái)賓的場(chǎng)所。

四照閣原為宋代古跡，始建于宋初，為都官關(guān)氏之別業(yè)。舊閣位置在現(xiàn)華嚴(yán)經(jīng)塔處，年久閣廢。1914年，印社同人重建此閣。泰戈?duì)?、徐志摩、魯迅等人都?lái)過此閣。四照閣四周皆為明窗，遙對(duì)外西湖三島，為眺望湖山極佳處，現(xiàn)主要作為印社文化休閑經(jīng)營(yíng)場(chǎng)所，既接待社員和來(lái)賓，也對(duì)游客開放。這里是西泠印社的風(fēng)景最勝處，安坐其中，四面八方的湖光山色盡收眼底。當(dāng)年創(chuàng)社人之一的葉為銘曾為此撰寫了一副對(duì)聯(lián)：“面面有情，環(huán)水抱山山抱水;心心相印，因人傳地地傳人?！?/p>

千年印學(xué) 播芳六合

柏堂是西泠印社第一建筑群中的主要建筑，位于竹閣東、蓮池北?！段縻鲇∩缰靖濉份d：“原跡久圯，清光緒二年重建，俞樾題額?！碧们鞍貥錇?983年西泠印社八十周年紀(jì)念會(huì)時(shí)補(bǔ)種。

柏堂大門門楣上掛有首任社長(zhǎng)吳昌碩所題隸書匾額“西泠印社”。室內(nèi)陳設(shè)按江南廳堂布置，家具多為仿明式，配以木刻對(duì)聯(lián)、各式繪畫。廳堂坎窗間嵌有大型人物畫屏風(fēng)，畫中人物為印社四位創(chuàng)始人和前后五任社長(zhǎng)，以西泠印社孤山社址為背景，人稱“西泠先賢圖”。此外，在柏堂四周墻上還懸掛有印社四位創(chuàng)始人和前后六任社長(zhǎng)的人物噴墨畫，配有文字介紹。

2012年6月29日，西泠印社第七任社長(zhǎng)饒宗頤先生前來(lái)履新，在這里為印社題下“播芳六合”4個(gè)大字，寓意西泠印社的精神像花兒的芬芳一樣，散播到世界各地。后來(lái)，在社長(zhǎng)頒證儀式上，饒公致辭：印社社員們要具有開闊的視野和博大的胸襟，要把西泠印社放在世界的視野之中，讓人們共享中國(guó)篆刻藝術(shù)這一世界非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)。

事實(shí)上，近10年來(lái)，西泠印社已經(jīng)開始有意識(shí)地走向世界舞臺(tái)。2010年上海世博會(huì)時(shí)，西泠印社社員負(fù)責(zé)為各國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人篆刻印章。如何讓不理解漢字含義的各國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人感知印文化的魅力？印社有意創(chuàng)新了圖形印的概念，為外國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人篆刻肖像印章。

當(dāng)這批圖形印呈現(xiàn)在各國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人面前時(shí)，他們立即被打動(dòng)了。普京、默克爾、奧巴馬等紛紛認(rèn)出了自己，他們很高興自己的形象出現(xiàn)在中國(guó)古老的藝術(shù)中。此刻，印以最古樸的形態(tài)，完成了最貼近“世界語(yǔ)”的交流。

2016年，G20杭州峰會(huì)時(shí)，西泠印社主辦了一場(chǎng)“篆物銘形——圖形印與非漢字系統(tǒng)印章”國(guó)際學(xué)術(shù)研討會(huì)，從世界印章史的角度考察其他地域及文化背景中的印章。

2018年，西泠印社115年社慶時(shí)，又推出了“世界圖紋與印記”主題研討會(huì)，不斷拓寬印學(xué)文化國(guó)際化范疇。

沙孟海社長(zhǎng)曾說，所有的印社中，沒有一個(gè)像西泠那樣有強(qiáng)大的覆蓋全國(guó)全世界的學(xué)術(shù)力量?！鄙趁虾Ｉ玳L(zhǎng)更是提出要把西泠印社打造成國(guó)際印學(xué)研究中心，真正發(fā)揮引領(lǐng)印風(fēng)的作用。

濤聲聽東浙，印學(xué)話西泠。在這一輩西泠印人看來(lái)，“印”的天地越來(lái)越大。西泠印社，天然具備“播芳六合”的責(zé)任和擔(dān)當(dāng)。

Xiling Seal Art Society： Timeless Legend

The Xiling Seal Art Society was founded in 1904 when the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911） was about to fall apart. The organization was set up by four young seal art specialists determined to preserve the ancient art. The four founding fathers， namely Ding Ren， Wu Yin， Wang Fuan and Ye Weiming all in their 20s， are now known as Four Gentlemen of Xiling. They joined hands in founding this society in the hope of preserving and improving the ancient seal art whereas paying attention to calligraphy and painting. The society was founded by the funds raised by the four and set up at Solitary Hill on the West Lake in Hangzhou. The society was named after Xiling Bridge， near which is the society.

This is how the Xiling Seal Art Society started.

For about ten years after the inception in 1904， the society did not have a president. The four young artists had no heart in engaging in administrative issues. In 1913， they invited Wu Changsuo （1844-1927） to preside over the society. Wu had been a legendary seal artist， calligrapher， and painting master of the late Qing and the early Republic years. With Wu as the president， the Xiling Seal Art Society attracted the attention of the literary and artistic circles both at home and abroad. Since Wu Changshuo， the presidents of the society have been celebrated scholars or personages of great renown. The second president was Ma Heng， who was also the curator of the Forbidden City Museum. The third president was Zhang Zongxiang， the president of Zhejiang Library. After Chinas war of resistance against the Japanese aggressors ended in 1945， Zhang brought the society back to normalcy. If the society cant find a scholar or master prominent enough to be its head， the vacancy will stay. It has been so since 1904. Moreover， for the past 100 plus years， the society has had no more than 400 members.

Many of these members are key chapters in the history of the society and some are important persons in the history of Chinese art. It goes without saying that Wu Changshuo is one of the greatest artists in the history of the Chinese art in the 20th century. Li Shutong （1880-1942） who joined Xiling Seal Art society in its first decade is another legend in the history of Chinese art， culture and literature. He studied in Japan.

He was a rounded personage. He did many “firsts” in the history of Chinese art and culture. He became a Buddhist monk in 1918 at the age of 38 after he donated 93 seals to the society.

Ye Liujiu is a name that must be mentioned in the history of the society. After Chinas War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out in full in 1937， important members of the society all went into refuge. The houses at the Solitary Hill on the West Lake were left in the care of Ye Liujiu， a native of Hangzhou. Hangzhou was occupied by the Japanese soldiers during the whole war. When they surrendered in 1945， the assets of the society at the Solitary Hill were intact thanks to Ye Liujiu.

Ren Yin， one of the four founders of the society， wrote in his will that the society should never change its name and that Ye Liujius family must be taken good care of.

Number One Society under the Sun

Among circles of artists and calligraphers， Xiling Seal Art Society is exaggeratingly reputed as “Number One Society under the Sun”. The claim is not completely true， but the overstatement reflects the position of the society not only in China but also in Japan.

In the 1890s， a Japanese calligrapher named Kusakabe Meikaku （1838-1922） came to visit Zhejiang in search of the handwritings of Wang Xizhi， presumably the greatest Chinese calligrapher in ancient China. Meikaku made friends with Wu Changshuo， then the most prominent calligrapher in the region. Wu carved some seals for the Japanese friend.

After Meikaku returned to Japan， he established the Meikaku School of calligraphy， designating Wu as the very foundation of the school.

Even today， Wus achievement in calligraphy is a must-study for calligraphers of the Meikaku School. In 1989， some representatives from the society set up a stone stele at Xiling Seal Art Society to mark the 100th anniversary of the meeting of Wu Changshuo and Kusakabe Meikaku.

China Seal Studies Museum

China Seal Studies Museum， the only one of its kind in China， is a window of Xiling Seal Art Society. Founded in 1999， the museum showcases the history， culture， and aesthetics of seal carving of China. It has a collection of seal art literature， it exhibits seals and other seal-related objects， and it is a venue for cultural and academic exchanges.

Seal carving in China goes back to a long time ago. Archaeologists discovered three bronze seals at the Yin ruins at Anyang in Henan Province.

The ruins date back to the Shang Dynasty （1600-1046BC）. In ancient times， seals were pragmatically used in official affairs.

In the Ming （1368-1644） and the Qing （1644-1911）， seals and stamps were no longer confined to government documents and government affairs. Men of letters and artists used seals to express their thought and sentiments and to showcase their individual aesthetics.

Viewed from this historical perspective， it would be relatively easy to understand why seal art thrived in Zhejiang which， it is said， accounts for half of the history of Chinese art.

In the early Qing Dynasty， seal artists in Zhejiang established themselves as masters who ushered in a renaissance of seal carving and pioneered a new path for future explorations in the field.

Buildings at Xiling Society

Though the venue of the Xiling Seal Art Society is small at the western end of Solitary Hill on the West Lake， it boasts some very significant buildings. The oldest building on the venue is Yangxian Pavilion rebuilt in 1905 on the site of the namesake structure erected in the Ming Dynasty. This pavilion serves as a show room exhibiting carved images and inscriptions of various masters in the history of art， seal-carving， and calligraphy.

On the west side of the venue stands a small stone house. Through the wrought-iron door visitors could see a stone monument. This stone structure with a carved inscription dates back to the Han Dynasty （206BC-220AD） and is the oldest one of its kind in China.

In the autumn of 1921， a Japanese businessman purchased the stone stele for 8，000 silver dollars and was ready to ship it back to Japan. Wu Changshuo， then president of Xiling Seal Art Society， called for donations so that the stele could be bought back and stay in China. Within a month 65 donors chipped in 11，270 silver dollars. The stele came to stay at Xiling Seal Art Society.

Guanyue Pavilion was built in 1920 with the funds donated by Wu Shanqing， a great grandson of Wu Yin， one of the four founders of the society. In the summer of 1927， Wu Changshuo stayed at the pavilion. In 1957， the pavilion was turned into Wu Changshuo Memorial Museum. Sizhao Pavilion was rebuilt in 1914 on the site of a building of the Song Dynasty.

Tagore， Xu Zhimo and Lu Xun visited the pavilion once. The pavilion has large windows on four sides， a vantage spot for a commanding view of the West Lake.

Going International

In the last 10 years or so， the society has intensified its efforts to go international. Seal artists of Xiling created seals for 2010 Shanghai World Exposition.

These seals featured images of then world leaders and were presented on various occasions. These engraved images were well received.

During the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou， the society hosted an international seminar on graphic seals and seals that bore non-Chinese languages. Attendees explored the history of worlds seal carving and examined seals in other parts of the world against different cultural backdrops.

In 2018 Xiling Seal Art Society celebrated its 115th anniversary and held an international seminar on worlds seal arts.