Mr. Dongfang's Painting Commemorative Stele

Author: Zong Ming'an
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: "Selected Fine Ancient Inscriptions: Eastern Scholar's Praise Stele of Tang Dynasty" is published by Shaanxi People's Fine Arts Publishing House. The "Eastern Scholar's Praise Stele," locally known as Yanzi Stele, has its main text composed by Xiahou Zhan of the Jin Dynasty and inscribed by Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty, who also wrote the "Record on the South Face of the Stele." The stele is carved on all four sides: the south and north faces each have 15 lines, while the east and west sides have 3 lines each, with 30 characters per line. The characters on the south and north faces are in large, regular script, while the headers are in seal script (south) and clerical script (north). The characters on the stele are 6 cm tall, and the headers are 10 cm tall. The stele contains a total of 1,073 characters. The body of the stele is tall and robust, with an ancient and dignified style. Yan Zhenqing came from a scholarly family, with deep artistic heritage, excelling in calligraphy, particularly in running and regular scripts. Building upon the calligraphic art of Wang Xizhi and his son, he, with his profound knowledge and righteous character, transformed the elegant and refined style of the Wei and Jin periods into a majestic and profound style, creating a new calligraphic script in Chinese calligraphic history, known as "Yan Style," which had an extremely profound influence on later calligraphy. When Yan Zhenqing inscribed the stele as the magistrate of Pingyuan, he was 45 years old, in the prime of his life, and his calligraphic art had reached a level of perfection. Therefore, the characters on the Praise Stele, as inscribed by Yan Zhenqing, are level, sharp, and vigorous, with strong strokes and grand structures, making it an exceptional representation of the Yan Style. Perhaps inspired by his mood, after completing the regular script text, Yan Zhenqing, with full brush and ink, still felt unfulfilled, and thus added a seal script header "Praise Stele of Eastern Shu Scholar Dongfang Shuo" and a clerical script header "Record on the South Face of the Praise Stele of Eastern Scholar Dongfang Shuo," with the seal script displaying an elegant style and the clerical script showing a powerful. This single stele combines regular, seal, and clerical scripts, enhanced by delicate carving, embodying the essence of the Yan Style and truly representing a rare and superior calligraphic treasure. In 1978, the stele was listed as a provincial key cultural relic under protection, and in 1982, it was designated as a national first-class cultural relic collection. To ensure the complete preservation of the "Eastern Scholar's Praise Stele" for future generations, cultural authorities replicated the stele in late 1983, retaining its original style. The Ling County Committee and Government decided to build the "Wenbo Garden" within Ling County People's Park to properly preserve this historical relic. In June 1985, the "Wenbo Garden" was officially completed. The newly constructed three pavilions with flying eaves, golden-glazed tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, jade railings, and grand corridors exhibit a magnificent structure. The central double-roofed pavilion houses the replica of the "Eastern Scholar's Praise Stele," while the southern pavilion contains the replica of Yan Zhenqing's "Praise Stele for Eastern Scholar Dongfang," and the northern pavilion houses the Qing Dynasty's Wang Zhonglin's "Portrait Praise Stele for Yan Ruguang." The three steles form a harmonious whole, creating a spectacular sight. In 1988, Yan Gong Temple was built north of the pavilions, and a towering and majestic stele pavilion was constructed east of the "Eastern Scholar's Praise Stele" pavilion, housing the original "Eastern Scholar's Praise Stele." The entire architectural style is elegant and solemn.