According to Liu Heng's History of Calligraphy in China, "Tiexue" refers to the historical view and aesthetic theory of calligraphy formed since the Song Dynasty, which advocates the calligraphy styles of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and takes the famous pen and ink posts since the Jin and Tang Dynasties as the creative atmosphere. Because this kind of atmosphere is formed under the stimulation and influence of a large number of engraved posts, such as the Spring Pavilion post in the Song Dynasty, it is called "sticking snow". "The study of steles" refers to attaching importance to the historical view of calligraphy and the aesthetic proposition of steles in the Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties, as well as the creative atmosphere with steles as the main learning object.
Before modern archaeology was introduced into China, the main research objects were ancient bronzes and stone carvings. Inscriptions, similar to those in Europe, are considered as the precursors of archaeology in China. The research object belongs to sporadic unearthed cultural relics or handed down products, which have not been scientifically excavated; Attach importance to the description and textual research of inscriptions, and the purpose of research is to supplement history with classics. Formed in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was officially named "epigraphy" in the Qing Dynasty.
Epigraphy from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Yuan and Ming Dynasties began in the Western Han Dynasty. Some people have studied ancient Chinese characters, researched ancient bronzes, arranged bamboo slips and described historical sites. But there are few researchers, no monographs and no disciplines. The rulers of the Northern Song Dynasty paid great attention to Confucian classics and advocated the restoration of the ritual system, and there was an upsurge in the collection, collation and research of antiquities. The development of ink extension and printing provided conditions for the spread of epigraphy. Epigraphy gradually took shape. Liu Chang, who was living in Song Renzong, carved the Monument to Ancient Wares in Pre-Qin Dynasty (lost text), which is a pioneering work in epigraphy. The Archaeological Map written by Lu Dalin has made great achievements in the collation of ancient books. This book is the earliest catalogue of ancient artifacts that has been circulated so far. Later, books on bronzes, such as The Picture of Xuanhe Bo Gu, The Style of Yi Wares in Zhong Ding in Past Dynasties, and books on stone carvings, such as Ancient Records, Records of Zhao Mingcheng (Li Qingzhao's husband) and Lishi, appeared, and the research on stone carvings has been quite prosperous. There were not many achievements in epigraphy in Yuan and Ming Dynasties, among which He Shuo's Visit to the Ancient and Gu are the representative works. In addition, Gegu Essentials is an early appreciation book of cultural relics in China.
Epigraphy became an independent discipline, which began in the Song Dynasty, and a number of epigraphists and monographs appeared, which had a far-reaching impact on later studies. Many famous Confucian scholars participated in it, among which Zhao Mingcheng was an outstanding representative. Twenty years later, he collected 2000 volumes of epigraphy and compiled them into 30 volumes of epigraphy in the Song Dynasty. By describing Zhao's life, the collection and arrangement of stone inscriptions and the process of writing Jin Shi Lu, this paper tries to fully explain his position in the field of stone collection and its inherent historical value.
Jin Shi Lu is a famous work devoted to Zhao Mingcheng and Li Qingzhao. It records 2,000 kinds of Jin Shi rubbings from Xia, Shang, Zhou to Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, including 10 volume, 20 volumes on syndrome differentiation and treatment, and postscript 102 articles. Because Zhao Mingcheng himself had written a preface for this book before his death, which was listed at the beginning of the book, Li Qingzhao made this "preface" and attached it to the back of the book, so it was called "preface". Jin Shi Lu is an academic work compiled by Li Qingzhao's late husband Zhao Mingcheng. When Li Qingzhao wrote the preface, her husband had been dead for six years and her personal life had experienced many twists and turns. So, with mixed feelings, she couldn't help writing this famous preface to Jinshi.
Li Qingzhao's Preface to the Records of the Stone is an essay, which introduces the process of collecting and sorting out the cultural relics of the stone, the content and writing process of the Records of the Stone, and recalls the worries and gains during the thirty-four years after marriage. It is tactfully tortuous, meticulous and concise, and the language is concise and smooth. This is a masterpiece with fresh style and elegant dictionary, and its main feature is the word "true". Li Qingzhao poured her sincere feelings for her husband, Zhao Mingcheng, with a flowing style of writing, and described her experiences and heartfelt feelings with touching brushstrokes, which made readers happy, sad, fascinated and sad.