Han Carved Stele - Fenglong Mountain Stele

Author: China Archives Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The full title of "Hua Shan Stele" is "Han Xiyue Hua Shan Miao Stele," erected in the fourth month of the Yanxi year (165) during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The stele was originally located in Xiyue Temple in Huayin County, Shaanxi Province, and was destroyed by an earthquake in the 34th year of the Jiajing era (1555) during the Ming Dynasty. It is written in Clerical Script, with 22 lines, each containing 38 characters. The title on the top is inscribed in Seal Script as "[Xibing Hua Shan Miao Stele]" with six characters. The last line bears the inscription "[Guo Xiangcha's calligraphy]" as the definitive model.
The "Hua Shan Stele" is one of the representative works of mature Clerical Script from the Han Dynasty. Its style is robust, ancient, and yet fluid; the brushwork is full, balanced, and features distinct "waves" (zhezhi), making it highly regarded by calligraphers. The Qing Dynasty scholar Zhu Yizun once remarked on this stele: "[Han Clerical Script can be categorized into three types: one square and neat, one flowing and elegant, and one strange and ancient. Only the 'Yanxi Huayue Stele' perfectly combines these three qualities, making it the finest Han Clerical Script." Fang Shuo wrote in his "Chengjing Tang Jinshu Shuhua Tiba" (Annotations on Gold, Stone, Calligraphy, and Painting from the Chengjing Hall): "[Every character has sharp edges, every stroke is cast like metal, its meaning encompasses millennia, and its power surpasses the Three Summits." Liu Xizai remarked in "Yigai" (Comprehensive Treatise on Art): "[It is grand and majestic, dense and profound, with undulating and abrupt rhythms, and its meaning is particularly boundless."
Only four extant rubbings of the "Hua Shan Stele" are known: the Changyuan Rubbing, Huayin Rubbing, Siming Rubbing, and Li Wentian Rubbing. Except for the Changyuan Rubbing, which is a Song Dynasty edition, the others are Ming Dynasty editions. The rubbing used for this printing is the Changyuan Rubbing, and the original artifact has since been lost to Japan.