Dragon Temple Stele

Author: Fang Chuanxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-08-01
Features: The Dragon Temple Stele is currently housed in the main hall of Longzang Temple in Zhengding Prefecture, Hebei Province. It was inscribed in the sixth year of Emperor Wen of Sui (586) and erected by Jin Chengwang Xianxian, the Governor of Hengzhou. The stele comprises thirty lines, each with fifty characters, and ends with fifteen characters: "Qi Kaifu Zhang Jian Xing Canjun Jiumen Zhang Gong Li Zhi □." According to various inscriptions and records in stone and bronze inscriptions, it is suspected that Zhang Gong Li was the author and calligrapher of this stele. He was a former official of the Northern Qi dynasty who refused to surrender to the Sui dynasty and was a man of high moral integrity. Unfortunately, there is no biography of him in official histories, and Ma Zonghuo's Shulin Zaojian also lacks records of him. Therefore, in a certain sense, this stele is an excellent model that seeks variation while maintaining balance.