Li Yong's Stele of Lushan Temple

Author: Compiled by the Press
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Publishing Date: March 1, 2003
Features: The Lu Mountain Temple Stele is also known as The Yue Lu Temple Stele. It was written and inscribed by Li Yong of the Tang Dynasty. It was erected in the 18th year of the Kaiyuan era (AD 730). It has 28 lines, with 56 characters per line. According to The Compendium of Inscriptions and Relics, it is recorded: "The stele is 1.78 chi tall and 5.38 chi wide." The title on the header is written in seal script: "Lu Mountain Temple Stele." The stele is located in Yue Lu Park, Changsha, Hunan. Li Yong (678–747), styled Taihe, was from Jiangdu (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu). During the Kaiyuan era, he served as the governor of Beihai in Ji County and was known as "Li Beihai." His calligraphy initially learned from Wang Xizhi but later broke free from his style to create a unique one, earning him the reputation of "The Immortal Hand in Calligraphy." Li Yong was diligent in practicing calligraphy throughout his life, having inscribed over 800 steles, including The Lu Mountain Temple Stele, which is one of his masterpieces in running script. The use of running script in steles began with Emperor Taizong of Tang, breaking the tradition of using seal script, clerical script, or regular script for steles, while running script was rarely used. However, Li Yong was the first to truly use running script in steles and gain fame for it. Li Yong's running script was inspired by Wang Xizhi but possessed its own distinct personality. In terms of brushwork, this stele is sharp, dynamic, and vigorous, swift and dramatic, differing from Wang Xizhi's elegant, unrestrained, and tranquil style. In terms of structure, Li Yong emphasized grandeur, not meticulously focusing on the positioning of strokes, which contrasted with Wang Xizhi's preference for precision and subtle connections. In summary, Wang Xizhi's running script maintains a balanced dynamic structure even in the face of danger, exuding a moist and open charm. In contrast, Li Yong's running script has a more tilted structure, creating danger and novelty, with a wide range of brush movements. As Dong Qichang once remarked: "Wang Xizhi is like a dragon, Li Beihai is like an elephant." Li Yong can be considered one of the main founders of the bold style of running script. His calligraphy undoubtedly had a profound influence on the development of styles by later calligraphers such as Yan Zhenqing and Su Shi.