Chinese Stele Classics -- Liqi Stele: Chinese Stele Classics

Author: Fang Chuanxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The "Liqi Stele," formally titled "Han Lu Xiang Han Chuo Zao Kongmiao Liqi Stele," also known as the "Han Chuo Stele" or "Xi Kongzi Miao Qi Stele." Carved in the second year of the Yongshou era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (156 AD). In clerical script, sixteen lines with thirty-six characters per line. The back and sides of the stele are intact. Currently housed in the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong, it is collectively known with the "Yiying Stele" and the "Shichen Stele" as the three great masterpieces of the temple hall. This stele exhibits diverse brushwork variations, blending square and round, with balanced yet daring compositions. The lines vary in thickness and weight, displaying strong and resilient power, as hard as iron.
Qing Dynasty scholar Wang Shu praised this stele: "Clerical script reached its peak in the Han Dynasty, with each stele presenting a unique wonder, none like another, yet this one is exceptionally extraordinary." Qing Dynasty scholar Fang Shuo remarked: "The brilliance of this stele lies not in its neatness but in its variations, not in its grandeur but in its vigorous brushwork." Guo Shangxian praised: "The Han Dynasty's script reaches its zenith with the 'Han Chuo Zao Liqi Stele,' surpassing elegance and refinement, like the auspicious clouds in the sky, illuminating all phenomena." Qing Dynasty scholar Yang Shoujing remarked: "Only this stele embodies such qualities. In essence, it balances the extraordinary and daring within the ordinary and upright, the sparse and elegant within the dense and meticulous—hence its difficulty." Tang Dynasty calligrapher Chu Suiliang's style was influenced by this stele.