Zheng Xie (1693–1765), courtesy name Kerou and art name Banqiao, was a native of Xinghua, Jiangsu. He passed the metropolitan examination during the Qianlong reign and served as county magistrate of Fan County and Weixian in Shandong. He was a renowned Qing-dynasty painter, calligrapher, and writer, and one of the leading figures among the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. Zheng produced a great many poems, calligraphy, and paintings during his life, earning the acclaim “Zheng Banqiao's three arts of poetry, calligraphy, and painting.” His calligraphy was arguably the foremost of the three. Banqiao's calligraphy is bold and upright, full of strength, yet also relaxed and free.
