In the late Ming Dynasty, the cynicism in the book circle continued in the early Qing Dynasty. For example, the works of Zhu Fushan and others still show their inner life, an elusive emotional expression. This point reappeared in the mid-term "Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics".
At the same time, the academic system of the late Ming Dynasty was further developed. While respecting the tradition, Jiang Ying, Zhang Zhao, Liu Yong, Wang Wenzhi, Liang and Weng Fanggang all tried to show a new look, or wrote in light ink or changed the structure of the rules. However, due to the inheritance of the post in the senior year, there is no good cleaning, understanding and adjustment, and some accumulated disadvantages are deepening day by day, making the decline of post learning inevitable.
At this time, more and more stone carvings were unearthed, and the literati turned from their keen interest in letters to the textual research on stone carvings. At one time, officials and outsiders were eager for the study of steles, which eventually became the mainstream of the development of calligraphy in the Qing Dynasty. In addition, Ruan Yuan, Bao Chen Shi, Kang Youwei, etc. vigorously publicized that stele study exists as a calligraphy system, which competes with calligraphy study.
At that time, famous calligraphers were Jin Nong, Deng, He, Zhao, Wu Changshuo, Kang Youwei and so on. He wrote and painted, and erected monuments one after another, reaching a brilliant and dazzling position. It can be said that it is a landscape of China calligraphy culture. If the epitaph's desire for quality has not been realized, then this desire has been realized in the study of steles.