清光绪六年九月二十日 (1880年10月23日),中国近代文化艺术大师李叔同,诞生在三岔河口南、粮店后街陆家竖胡同2号。
        李叔同的先祖,由浙江平湖来到这里。叔同祖父名锐。父名世珍,以字筱楼行世。曾任吏部主事。后辞官继承父业,经营盐业和银钱业,成为盐商富家。67岁时,纳了年仅19岁的王氏为侧室。次年生下李叔同,小名三郎,幼名成蹊,学名文涛,化名和别号达200多个,叔同是其字。
        光绪八年(1882),叔同全家搬到粮店后街62号(今60号)一所“田”字形宅院,这就是保存至今、位于河北区的李叔同故居。院内并有洋式建筑,还有洋书房一间; 洋书房中,有奥国领事所赠的一架钢琴; 这些对后来的李叔同都有影响。
        李叔同6岁时,即从其兄长李文熙受启蒙教育。文熙举过秀才,后弃商从医,成了名中医。第一年,是认字和背诵名诗格言; 转年开始读古籍。9岁起,从常云庄为师,接受老式正规教育,熟读四书五经等,在经史诗文和文字学等方面,打下了坚实的根基。其间,对书法、金石产生浓厚兴趣,临摹过柳公权等多位名家碑帖; 并开始做诗。
        16岁时,叔同考入天津文昌宫的辅仁书院,学习八股文; 同时又请人教授算术、外文。可见其少年时期,不只精读传统国学,而且对新学也很多留意。辅仁书院后改为文昌宫小学,李叔同与那里的老师有深厚情缘,在他后来留日回国后,为该学校歌写了歌词。

        

·1896年李叔同在天津留影

        17岁的下半年,叔同进入其二嫂姚氏家馆,师从津门名士赵幼梅(元礼),学习辞赋、填词等,由唐诗又入宋词,诗词俱进。同时又师从津门名士唐敬严,学习书法、篆刻。并结识了天津文化教育名人严修、孟广慧、华世奎、王襄,以及时常来津的李石曾等,与他们品赏诗词文章,切磋金石书画,议论社会世相,其艺猛进,才华横溢,在津门书画、金石界,头角崭露。同仁称赞其“聪明匹冰雪” 、“摹印树一帜” 。1994年和1999年,先后两次在天津发现李叔同印谱862方; 加上其他零散印章,超过千方。这些,基本上都是李叔同这个时期的创作,说明他在少年时,就已经成为金石大家。
        18岁时,叔同娶了南运河边芥园附近俞姓姑娘为妻,俞氏比叔同大两岁; 他们夫妻相处,仅有七八年光景。同年,他以童生资格进入天津县学。在此后的两年中,他写过多篇课试文章,揭示了国政吏治的腐败无能,透露了他忧国忧民的爱国情怀。
        李叔同喜爱戏剧,经常出入梨园票房、剧坛歌台,结识了京剧名家孙菊仙、杨小楼、刘永奎一代名角; 并作为票友,粉墨登场,演过《落马湖》等武生戏。李叔同后来成为中国话剧先驱,不是偶然。
        光绪二十四年(1898),戊戌变法百日而亡后,李叔同因刻过“南海康君是吾师”之闲章,有康党之嫌。为了避难,于10月间,中止县学学业,奉母携眷,南下上海,融入了更大的世界。
        光绪三十一年(1905)3月10日,李叔同母亲因病去世。7月下旬,他扶灵携眷,返回天津;8月初,以完全新颖简朴的革故做法,为母亲办理了丧事。同年秋天,李叔同由上海东渡扶桑。在日本留学期间,他给少年时的亦友亦师徐耀延经常来信,天津博物馆就收藏着他的一二十封书信等,弥足珍贵。
        宣统三年(1911) 3月,李叔同学成从日本回国。将伴随而来的日籍夫人在上海安置妥当以后,于初夏时回到天津,应直隶模范工业学堂之聘,担任图画教员,开始了他艺术教育家的生涯。由于时局动荡,李家破产; 叔同任教的学校业已关闭; 加之上海还有牵挂的人。他在天津住了不到一年,终于1912年春节前夕,离开了抚育他的故土,一去30年,再也没有来喝海河之水。
        李叔同“在世” 、“出世” ,只有62年,却给“后世”在书法、金石、诗词、美术、音乐、话剧、教育及律宗等方面,留下了极其宝贵的财富,这位奇人所创造的 “弘学” ,是中西文化融合的典范和瑰宝。

        

·1900年李叔同在上海

        Li Shutong,a master of arts in modern China,was bornin a businessman family at No. 2,Lujiashu Hutong,south of Sancha Hekou in October 1880.
        At the age of six,Li received his illuminativeeducation from his elder brother,Li Wenxi,who wasa scholar and doctor of Chinese medicine. At the ageof nine,he followed Mr Chang Yunzhang to learntraditional Chinese culture including classics,poetry andliterature. At the age of 16,he passed the examinationsand was enrolled by Furen School of WenchangPalace,Tianjin,where he studied the eight-part essay,mathematics and foreign languages. Later,Furen Schoolchanged its name into Wenchanggong Primary School.Li had strong affection towards his teachers in thatschool. After returning from Japan,Li wrote a lyric forthis school.
        At the age of 17,he entered the private school runby the family of his second sister-in-law. Zhao Youmei,a famous scholar at that time,taught him poetry writingand diction. He also studied poetry of Tang and Songdynasties. Then another famous scholar Tang Jingyantaught him calligraphy and seal engraving. He alsomade friends with some other famous elites such as YanXiu,Meng Guanghui,Hua Shikui,Wang Xiang and LiShizeng. His foundation of arts was cemented throughthe discussions with the above-mentioned scholars onpoetry and essay writing,seal engraving,calligraphyand painting. In 1994 and 1999,people in Tianjin foundimpressions of 863 seals engraved by Li Shutong. Thesefindings indicated that Li was a master of seal engravingin his early ages.
        At the age of 18,Li was married with a 20-year-old girl,whose family name was Yu. Then he enteredthe County School of Tianjin as a scholar. At that time,he often visited theatres and made friends with famousactors of Peking Opera,such as Sun Juxian,YangXiaolou and Liu Yongkui. Sometimes he even played arole on the stage as an amateur actor.
        In 1898,Li was forced to leave Tianjin with hismother and wife to Shanghai because,after the failure ofthe reform movement of 1898 led by Kang Youwei andLiang Qichao,a seal engraved by him reads that"KangYouwei was my teacher",brouth suspicion and pressureon Li Shutong`s life.
        In the year of 1905,Li Shutong`s mother passedaway. In July,he returned to Tianjin for escorting hismother`s coffin back to hometown. In early August,he buried his mother after holding a simple funeral. Inautumn,he went to Japan for further study. During hisstudy in Japan,Li wrote dozens of letters to his friendXu Yaoting in Tianjin,who also wrote back to him. Theprecious letters written by the two friends were now keptby the Tianjin Museum.
        In March 1911,Li,accompanied by his Japanesewife,returned Shanghai from Japan. After he settled hiswife in Shanghai,Li came back to Tianjin in summer.At the invitation of the Zhili Model Industry College,hekicked off his career as an arts educator by teaching finearts. Later,Li`s family got bankrupt due to the turbulenceat that time and the college where Li worked was alsoforced to close. He left Tianjin for Shanghai in early1912 and never returned his hometown.
        Li Shutong (or Master Hongyi) left the worldgreat fortunes of calligraphy,seal,poetry,fine arts,music,drama,education and Buddhism theory in his62-year life. The "Hong School" created by him is agood example integrating the cultures between theEast and the West.

        

· “弘体” 书法