Biography of Bao Shichen Bao Shichen (包世臣; 1775—1855) stands as a pivotal figure in late Qing China’s intellectual landscape, renowned primarily for his mastery of calligraphy and his unwavering advocacy for reform amidst the turbulent era. Born into a modest Confucian family in Jiangsu Province, Bao’s early life was marked by perseverance despite repeated failures to gain admittance to the imperial examination system—a cornerstone of…