New co-edited book - Dao De Jing: Artistic Seals and Calligraphy with Annotated Translation

The book Dao De Jing: Artistic Seals and Calligraphy with Annotated Translation, co-edited by Ms Pan Pan and our Dr Molly Pan, has been nominated as the designated gift by the Reception Office of the Luyi County Government in Henan Province, China. This book encapsulates the understanding and artistic interpretations of the Chinese traditional cultural classic, Dao De Jing, by three generations: Dr Pan Xie (Molly), her sister Ms Pan Pan, their father Mr Pan Yong, and their grandfather Mr Pan Youquan. This book contains three forms of the Dao De Jing: artistic seals, Chinese calligraphy (regular script in small characters), and annotations in contemporary Chinese with their English translations.

Mr Pan Youquan published Dao De Jing Carving and Annotations in 1993. Starting from the age of sixty, Mr Pan Youquan used over two thousand pieces of stone, underwent eight rounds of polishing and re-engraving, and transformed the five thousand words of Dao De Jing into individual seals using Chinese seal carving art. This resulted in the creation of the world’s first stone-engraved version of Dao De Jing. Mr. Pan hoped that more people worldwide could understand the culture and art of the Dao De Jing. To this end, his granddaughters, Dr Molly Pan and Ms Pan Pan, translated his life-experience-based interpretation of the original text into English. In addition to seal carving, Mr Pan was also locally renowned for his Chinese calligraphy. To honor his love for calligraphy, his son, Mr Pan Yong, wrote the entire Dao De Jing using regular script in small characters.

This book contributes to the international communication of Chinese traditional art and Taoism. Luyi County, the birthplace of Laozi, has been dedicated to the promotion of Taoist culture for many years. Serving as a cultural artifact, this book significantly enhances and promotes the local cultural industry. A formal new book launch event is being organized by Luyi Federation of Literary and Art Circles in July 2024.

More information about the book can be found on the website here.