Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy of the Qinli Stele

Author: Ji Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Yan Zhenqing (709–778), a native of Langya Linyi (Linyi, Shandong), styled Qingchen, was one of the "Four Great Calligraphers" in the history of Chinese calligraphy. His calligraphy inherited the artistic spirit and rules of previous styles while breaking free from the constraints of ancient methods. He broke the conventional practices of early Tang calligraphy, establishing his own unique style and becoming the pioneer of round-hand calligraphy. Later generations referred to his style as "Yan Style" and paired him with another Tang calligrapher, Liu Gongquan, as "Yan's sinew and Liu's bone."
Yan Qinli Beibei (also known as Yan Junshi Daobei), the full title being Tang Gu Si Shu Shu Luo Zhou Dou Du Fu Changshang Shang Hu Jun Yan Jun Daobei, was erected in Chang'an in the 14th year of the Dali era (779 AD). It was commissioned by Yan Zhenqing as a memorial for his great-grandfather. The stele has 19 lines on the front, 20 lines on the back, with 38 characters per line; the left side has 4 lines, with 37 characters per line. It bears a postscript by Song Boyu. The original stone was lost between the Yuan and Ming dynasties, but it was rediscovered by He Menggeng in Chang'an in October 1922 from the rear of an old feudal mansion. During the Song and Yuan periods, some inscriptions on one side were worn away, leaving only three sides with 44 lines, each with 38 characters per line.
This stele was created when Yan Zhenqing was 60 years old. Its calligraphy is robust, disciplined, and powerful, marking the complete maturity of his later calligraphic art and serving as a representative work of his late-career regular script. Due to its long burial in the earth, the stele has remained undamaged, appearing as fresh as new, and still fully conveys the grandeur and strength of Yan's calligraphy. However, when it was unearthed, the stele had already broken, with some characters missing. The stele is now preserved in the Stele Forest Museum in Xi'an.