Explanation of the term "Longzang Temple Stele" is the abbreviation of "E Guogong, the governor of Hengzhou, persuaded the construction of the Longzang Temple Stele for the country".
Historical introduction:
The Longzang Temple Stele - the eighth of the nine unique monuments of Zhengding Buddhist Temple. The Longzang Temple Stele is an important inscription in the Sui Dynasty of my country. On the east side of Dabei Pavilion in Longxing Temple, Zhengding, Hebei Province. Zhang Gongli, the governor of the Kaifu who also served in the army, wrote the article, but did not write the name of the person who wrote it. However, there are also writings and books attributed to Zhang Gongli.
Features:
The monument is 3.15 meters high, 0.90 meters wide and 0.29 meters thick. The inscription has 30 lines in regular script, 50 characters per line, and more than 1,500 characters. The monument is a turtle. The forehead of the stele is semicircular, with six intersecting dragons in relief. It has a unique shape and fine carving, and has the simple style of dragons in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. There are 15 words in regular script on the front of the stele: "The governor of Hengzhou, Duke E, encouraged the construction of the stele of Longzang Temple for the country."
There are inscriptions and the names of counties in Hengzhou on the underside and left side of the stele. They are divided into 5 sections and 30 lines, with varying numbers of characters. They are also in regular script. According to the "Zhengding County Chronicle" in the first year of Guangxu: "The stele of Longzang Temple is linked to the shade, Zhang Gongli wrote and combined it, and it was established in December of the sixth year of Kaihuang. It is now in Longxing Temple."
Development history:
my country's stone inscriptions sprouted in the Shang Dynasty, the name of the stele appeared in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and the stele with inscribed chronicles first appeared in the late Western Han Dynasty. By the time of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the construction of tomb tree stele became common again. As far as the calligraphy art of stele inscriptions is concerned, the development history of stone inscriptions in my country can be divided into three major stages, namely Han stele, Wei stele and Tang stele.
Many of the Han dynasty steles are unique and ancient, most of the Wei steles are magnificent and majestic, the Tang steles are beautiful and elegant, and the Sui steles are in the transitional period of development from the Wei stele style to the Tang stele style. The Ryuzangji Monument is a representative masterpiece that reflects this change. Its font structure is simple and square, and although it is regular script, it still retains the official meaning, making it a rare treasure.
Evaluation:
The stele is a stone stele created by Prince Xiaoxian, the governor of Hengzhou in the Sui Dynasty, who was ordered to persuade more than 10,000 scholars in the state to build Longzang Temple. Not only is it tall and solemn, but it is also considered the best in calligraphy art in the Sui Dynasty. It does not have the frugal style of the Northern Wei Dynasty, nor does it completely lose the official meaning of the Tang Dynasty stele. It has a deep feeling and has high calligraphy value.