Cao Quan Stele - Collected by Yinbing Study - Special Collection of Rare Books and Manuscripts, National Library of China. Selected Steles and Inscriptions Collected by Liang Qichao

Author: Ji Yaping
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The Caoquan Stele is a special collection of the National Library's Rare Books and Manuscripts Department, one of the selected calligraphy and stone inscriptions by Liang Qichao. The collection features famous steles and calligraphy created by Liang Qichao, with exquisite printing craftsmanship, prioritizing Ming or Qing Dynasty (Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns) editions. It also includes Liang Rengong's own annotations, providing historical and literary context. The collection is beneficial for calligraphy enthusiasts to study ancient classics, for those interested in inscriptions and stone documents to cross-reference and verify, and for scholars researching Liang Rengong to broaden their perspectives and discover new historical facts. This volume features the Caoquan Stele. The stele was carved in October 185 AD during the Middle Years of the Zhongping Reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty and was discovered in the Confucius Temple of Heyang, Shaanxi, in the early years of the Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was moved to the Stele Forest of the Shaanxi Museum in 1956. Written in Clerical Script, it is a mounted and bound copy with twenty-one leaves, measuring 25 cm in height and 12 cm in width. The cover is inscribed by Liang Qichao. It is stamped with seals such as "Tanzi's Collection," "Pleasure in Fine Things," "Su's Collection of," "Weng Fanggang's Seal," "Yizhai," "Qichao," "Liang," "Xingchai," "Heirs' Treasure," "Yinbing Studio Collection," "Rongzhai Studio," "Forgetting the World Forever," "Shimo Book Studio," "Wenyuan Pavilion's Weng Fanggang Collection," "Han Strategy Seal," "Zai Feng," "Fanggang," "Liang Qichao," "Ye Zhishen's Verification," "Dongxiang's Review," "Zhu Yizun's Seal," and "Li Yanzhang's Seal." The stele was passed down through Zhu Yizun, Weng Fanggang, and Liang Qichao, with a letter from Zhao Huaiyu, a viewing note by Li Yanzhang, and inscriptions by Liang Qichao and Weng Fanggang. This copy is a Ming Dynasty edition, with the character "" in the first line's "" not yet pierced and the character "" in the ninth line's "" not yet damaged.