Chinese Stele Classics -- Shimen Ming

Author: Compiled by the Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: "Shimen Ming" is a famous cliff inscription from the Northern Wei Dynasty. Originally carved on the east wall of the Shimen in the Baosilan Road of Shaanxi Province, it was later moved to the Hanzhong Museum after the reservoir construction caused the water level to rise. The inscription is in regular script, consisting of 28 lines with 22 characters per line, carved on the 30th day of the first month of the Yongping era (509 AD). Wang Yuan wrote and inscribed the text, praising and recording the efforts of the renowned craftsman Jia Sande in leading laborers to expand the Shimen project between 507 and 509 AD during the Zhengshi era. Wang Yuan's inscription has no title and is not mentioned in the history of calligraphy, making his birth and death dates unknown. According to Huayuan's "Guanzhong Jinchong Ji," it is recorded: "The Shimen Ming was established on the 30th day of the first month of the Yanchou era of the Yongping year, inscribed by Wang Yuan in regular script. It is located at Shimen. Yuan's calligraphy lacks a title, but the inscribed characters are superb and charming. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, it has not been recorded, making it particularly valuable." This cliff inscription is rustic and powerful, with strong and refined strokes that blend seal and clerical scripts. Its regular script resembles cursive, yet its character composition combines dignity with a playful and unrestrained spirit, appearing ethereal and graceful. It differs significantly from the sharp, square, and structured calligraphy style of the Northern Wei, undoubtedly an outstanding piece in the realm of Northern Wei inscriptions. Kang Youwei praised in "Broad Art Boat and Dual Collections": "Wang Yuan's Shimen Ming is whimsical and unrestrained, rivaling Cai Yong in skill, beyond the reach of Cao Zhen. Few in later generations could emulate it—like immortals who live beyond the mortal world, free from human desires, leaving no descendants." He further described: "The Shimen Ming is like an immortal on a jade island, riding phoenixes and cranes." These evaluations reveal that this inscription is an elite, high-toned work, rarely understood by beginners. Precisely because it is difficult to master, if one can extract its essence, modify and refine it, they might also create wonders with a brush and innovate with ink. Modern renowned calligraphers like Kang Youwei and Yu Youren drew inspiration from this inscription to develop their own styles. Yu Youren once wrote: "Morning I face the Shimen Ming, evening I inscribe twenty masterpieces. My hard work collects into couplets, night after night, tears drench my pillow." This shows that this inscription has gradually gained the attention and admiration of calligraphers over the past century.