Zheng Sixiao (1241-1318) was a famous calligrapher and painter of the Yuan Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, he was a student of the Imperial Academy. After entering the Yuan Dynasty, he lived in seclusion in a Buddhist temple in Suzhou. He used a clear and direct attitude to express his rejection of the Yuan Dynasty's rule. For example, he painted an orchid without its roots, which symbolized that a gentleman had lost his homeland where he grew up. His calligraphy also goes against the norm, deliberately avoiding traditional techniques and being direct and simple, very similar to the calligraphy style of some Zen monks in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
Cursive inscription and postscript collected by the National Palace Museum, Taipei
