Gengge Song

Author: Fang Chuanxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-12-01
Features: The "Gengge Song" is a cliff carving, commonly known as the "Gengge Song Stele," with the full title "Wudu Taishou Li Xi's Xiliqiao Gengge Song." The stone is located on the white cliff of Xujiaoping in Lueyang, Shaanxi Province, measuring 170 cm in height and 125 cm in width. It is written in Clerical Script, with nineteen lines. Except for the sixth and tenth lines, which have eleven and eighteen characters respectively, the remaining lines are filled with twenty-seven characters each, totaling 472 characters. Qing Dynasty scholar Fang Shuo once commented on this stele: "The calligraphy is ancient and square, carrying the essence of the early transformation from Seal Script to Clerical Script during the Western Han Dynasty." Steles of similar time periods include the "Xixia Song" (No. 171) and the "Yang Hua Bi Ji" (No. 173). Qing Dynasty scholar Yang Shoujing believed that the "Gengge Song" shares a similar style with the "Xixia Song," but the stone selection was not refined, resulting in a sharp loss of sharpness. It exudes a profound sense of vastness. Therefore, Qing Dynasty scholar Wan Jing said: "The characters resemble the 'Xia Cheng' but are exceptionally bold and strange. Observing the brushwork, it seems rough and clumsy, as if it were drawn by a five- or six-year-old child in a village school. Yet upon closer examination, a sense of ancient simplicity and a lack of pretense is evident in the lines." Kang Youwei even compared its calligraphy to that of Yan Zhenqing, suggesting that its rustic strength is its defining characteristic. This book is one of the classics in the collection of Chinese inscriptions and steles. It includes the complete text of the famous Clerical Script stele, the "Gengge Song." The book is beautifully printed, effectively capturing the spirit of the original work, making it an excellent model for calligraphy enthusiasts to study.