Completion Record of Songshan Shuiyan

Author: Editorial Group of Selected Calligraphic Works from Ancient Stele Collections
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2000-12-01
Features: The Bao Valley north of Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province is a gathering place for ancient cliff carvings. Hundreds of stone inscriptions are distributed inside and outside the Shimen Pass in Bao Valley, with thirteen major cliff carvings dating from the Han and Wei dynasties being particularly renowned, collectively known as the "Thirteen Pieces of Shimen." The "Record of the Completion of the Song River Weir" is one of these thirteen pieces. The "Compendium of Gold and Stone" records: "The cliff carving is seven feet four inches and eight tenths of an inch high, and one foot nine inches and eight tenths of an inch wide, with a total of sixteen lines, nine characters per line, each character about six inches in diameter, in clerical script." This cliff carving has now been moved to the Hanzhong City Museum.
The "Record of the Completion of the Song River Weir" was carved in the fifth year of the Shaoxi era (1194 AD). It is said that during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, the characters "Shaoxi" were accidentally damaged when stonemasons took stones. The inscription describes the flood in the summer of the fourth year of the Shaoxi era, where officials and common people jointly funded the repair of the weir, and it was inscribed as a memorial to commemorate the achievement. The inscription does not specify the author's name, but based on its calligraphic style, it is believed to have been written by Yan Mao. Yan Mao was the county magistrate of Nanzheng County during the Shaoxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty, known for his love of ancient culture and particularly skilled in clerical script.
The "Record of the Completion of the Song River Weir" is a fine example of clerical script from the Song Dynasty. The structure of the characters seeks variation within a broad and stable composition, with some characters having a flat and straight upper part and a rounded, twisting lower part, appearing somewhat irregular yet harmonious between squareness and openness, with a subtle hint of seal script. The brushwork is thin horizontally and thick vertically, with the unrestrained flow of the sweeping and drooping strokes enhancing the dynamism of the characters. The calligraphic art of this inscription inherits the weight and strength of Han and Wei calligraphy, the regularity and rigor of Tang Dynasty regular script, while also embodying the fluidity and vitality of Song Dynasty brushwork.
We have published a photolithographic edition of the "Record of the Completion of the Song River Weir" to serve as a reference and practice material for calligraphy enthusiasts.