1555-1636

A famous calligrapher, painter and art critic of the late imperial period.
Also a high-ranking official of the imperial government.

At the age of 17 he went to take the imperial civil service examination with his cousin. Tung expected to receive the highest award; instead, his cousin took first place, and Tung only second place. The examiner explained that his papers were excellent, but his calligraphy poor. Tung now began to work at improving his handwriting, taking as a model, among others, Wang Xizhi. He later came to be employed by a great collector of calligraphy, whose pieces he continued to use as models. By the time he passed the highest level of the imperial civil service examination, at the age of 35,  in 1589, he had become a recognized master of calligraphy, particularly skilled in grass and running hand.

Upon passing the highest level of the imperial civil service examination, he went to Peking to serve in the Imperial Academy, where he became tutor to a prince who later took the throne as emperor of China.

In 1599, having become involved in political intrigue at the court, he pleaded illness and retired from office. He returned to the bureaucracy in 1604. In the next year he was giving an examination when the candidates became angry and demonstrated against him. Though he was declared innocent of wrong-doing, he once again retired. 

He returned to governmental posts only 17 years later, in 1622,  when he was put in charge of compiling the history of the ruling dynasty. Soon afterwards, unhappy with political strife at court caused by the corrupt behavior of the eunuchs, he once again retired. 

In 1631 he returned to Peking once again, as tutor to the crown prince. In 1634 he asked to be retired on the grounds of old age, and was allowed to do so. He died two years later.

Though Tung's greatest fame was as a calligrapher, he was also renowned as an artist. Following the work of Mi Fei and others, he adopted the "free and easy" style of the literary artist, with a few well-chosen strokes of the brush satisfying the requests of friends or demands of creditors. He frequently expressed disdain for other artists who painted in a more complex and detailed style, giving more time and concentration to their work than Tung cared to devote to it.

In his private life, Tung is known to have engaged in some of the high-handed practices of the landed gentry of his day. On one occasion, several women who came to his home with grievances were insulted and beaten. A mob of enraged locals came and burnt his house to the ground. Though Tung and his family managed to escape, he lost many priceless works of painting and calligraphy.