Chinese Stele Classics -- Chu Suiliang's Fang Xuanling Stele

Author: Compiled by the Press
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2000-12-01
Features: The full title is "The Stele of Fang Xianling, Left Assistant Minister of the Secretariat, Minister of Works, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Grand Protector of the Empire, Military Commissioner of Bingzhou, and so on." It is also known as "The Stele of Fang Liang Gong." The stele was erected in the seventh month of the 20th year of the Zhenguan reign (A.D. 646). It is in regular script with thirty-six lines, each containing about eighty-one characters. According to the Collected Steles and Inscriptions, the stele, including its header, is 12 feet 9 inches tall and 5 feet wide. It is located at Zhaoling in Jiquansen Mountain, Shaanxi. The Northern Song dynasty edition of the stele, preserved by Li Gai of Qingzhou, is considered the most authoritative transmission of ink rubbings.
Chu Suiliang (596–658), styled Dengshan, was a native of Qiantang, Hangzhou. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he served as a Censor, Director of the Court Annals, and Minister of State Affairs. Under Emperor Gaozong, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Henan and later as Duke of Henan, earning the title "Chu of Henan." Later, he was appointed Minister of Personnel and Vice Minister of the Secretariat. His calligraphy initially learned from the works of Shaling and Ouyang Xun, then from Yu Shilang, and ultimately from the calligraphy of the "Two Wangs" (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xuanzhi), creating his own unique style. He was widely regarded alongside Ouyang Xun, Yu Shilang, and Xue Ji as one of the "Four Great Calligraphers of Early Tang."
Chu Suiliang's extant calligraphic works include the Stele of Yiqu Fo, the Stele of Meng Fashi, the Inscribed Teaching on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Eulogy for Ni Kuan, the Book of Yinfu, and the Desolate Tree Essay. The Stele of Fang Xianling was written when Chu Suiliang was in his early fifties. Comparing the Stele of Fang Xianling with his other works, it is clear that his calligraphy always brims with a dynamic vitality. The style of this stele differs significantly from his Stele of Yiqu Fo and the Stele of Meng Fashi, yet it is closer in technique and character to the later Inscribed Teaching on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The horizontal strokes are angled slightly lower on the left and higher on the right, with a subtle curvature. The vertical strokes exhibit an inward curve, appearing as if they are facing away from each other. The composition is balanced between tight and loose forms, with an expansive. This stele can be considered a milestone in Chu Suiliang's stylistic evolution, and the impetus for this change stemmed from his study of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.