Zhang Jizhi, the last important Song calligrapher, was admired for his large-character writing, with its boldly contrasting blunt and sinuous brushstrokes and fluid ligatures that trace the movement of the brush tip between strokes. This work is the only example of Zhang's large-scale calligraphy outside of Asia.

Although Zhang attained the top civil-service rank, he never held a high office. His fame as a calligrapher, however, spread to the Jin empire in northern China and to Japan, where his writing was prized by Zen monks. This piece was once part of a long handscroll, transcribing a poem by Du Fu (712–770), that was carried to Japan and cut into sections for display in a tokonoma. An outstanding example of Zhang's large regular script, it was venerated primarily for its aesthetic qualities. This section was cut in such a manner that the phrasing of the original was lost. The two couplets from which the segment comes may be translated as follows (the text of the scroll is in italics):

Palace gates, open beneath clear skies, reveal a vast expanse;
By the Serpentine are kingfisher curtains arrayed with silver plaques.
Skimming the water, back and forth, the dancers' sleeves flutter;
Climbing to the clouds, crisp and clear, the singers' voices rise.