Zheng Wen Gong Bei

Author: Lei Zhixiong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Guidance on Practicing Famous Calligraphic Works of Chinese History · Regular Script · "Zheng Wengong Stele." The "Zheng Wengong Upper Stele" is located at the summit of Tianzhushan in Pingdu County, while the "Zheng Wengong Lower Stele" is at the lower end of Yunfengshan in Ye County. The content of the upper and lower steles is largely the same, but the characters on the upper stele are more blurred and less circulated. Therefore, the "Zheng Wengong Stele" generally refers to the lower stele. The "Zheng Wengong Lower Stele" was carved in the 4th year of the Yongping era of Emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was written by Zheng Daozhao, a Northern Wei calligrapher, as an inscription for his father, Zheng Xi. The "Zheng Wengong Stele" exhibits a graceful style, with a refined and elegant character, a spacious and unrestrained structure, and a majestic and expansive aura. It combines the essence of seal script, clerical script, and cursive script. After being highly praised by Bao Shichen of the Qing Dynasty, its fame began to rise. Kang Youwei called it the "master of round brushwork in the Northern Wei Dynasty."
The structural characteristics of the "Zheng Wengong Stele" are as follows: It embodies the transitional features of Northern Wei calligraphy from seal script and clerical script to regular script. Its brushwork and style are varied, predominantly using round brushwork, with balanced and spacious structures. The interlocking frames are broad and unrestrained, while the overall is robust yet harmonious, with both strength and gentleness. It contains the power of a thousand jin, yet it is all contained within a refined and elegant manner. It has bone, blood, flesh, and spirit, winning praise for its "qi" (vitality) and "shi" (power). It possesses a strong and robust framework and a bold and unrestrained.
The brushwork characteristics of the "Zheng Wengong Stele" are as follows: It absorbs the features of round brushwork used in folk calligraphy and is considered a typical example of round brushwork, known as the "ultimate standard of round brushwork." Its strokes primarily evolved from seal script and clerical script, incorporating square elements into round forms. The curves in this stele are truly "exquisite in their subtlety." The brushwork is deliberate yet concealed, often moving in three-dimensional curves. The brushstrokes are interconnected in a continuous flow, creating a sense of an unending stream of artistic vitality.
Since its creation, the "Zheng Wengong Stele" has been praised by calligraphers. Some have even bestowed upon it the title of "Northern Stele," perhaps justly so.