During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, different styles of calligraphy were formed due to geographical division and governors' different ways. In 22 1 year BC, Qin Shihuang unified the six countries and established a centralized system. Soon, he ordered Li Si, the prime minister, to unify the eight calligraphy styles, such as Da Zhuan, Xiao Zhuan, Block Edition, Insect Edition, Regular Script, Official Script and Official Script, which were popular all over the country at that time, and implemented "the same script" and formulated a set of standardized and unified calligraphy styles, also known as "Qin Zhuan".
The ink of Qin dynasty can still be seen today, such as Qingchuan wooden slips, Hou Shu and Qin bamboo slips "Sleeping in a Tiger's Land in a Dream". Bamboo slips and silk books bid farewell to the support of Zhong Ding artifacts, making calligraphy appear systematically in the form of ink; Moreover, these ink calligraphy styles have changed from long to flat, from round to square. This news is also found in artifacts of the same period, such as Ding. This kind of official script, which has not yet broken away from the constitution of seal script, is called "pure official script" by Li Jianshu-"no wave pen, straight without bending, and lonely".
Shi Guwen in Qin Dynasty (also known as Chen Cang Ten Chapters, Yong Yi Hunting Chapters and Stone Carving) is the earliest stone carving calligraphy seen at present. His calligraphy style is between ancient books and Qin Zhuan, and it is a representative work in the transition period from Da Zhuan to Xiao Zhuan. Shi Guwen was unearthed in Baoji, Shaanxi Province in the early Tang Dynasty, and Han Yu wrote "Shigu Song", which had a great influence on later generations.
In the 26th year of Qin Shihuang (22 BC1year), Ban and Qin were unified. Their calligraphy is full of rules, but the characters are colorful and random, and the strokes are mostly parallel. Qin Shihuang led many people to patrol around, seeing mountains and water, and setting up a monument wherever he went to celebrate his great cause of "sweeping Liuhe and subliming the world" It is said that the stone carvings written by Li Si include Taishan stone carvings, Langya stone carvings and Langya stone carvings.
Carving Stone on Yishan was written by Qin Shihuang when he climbed Yishan and ordered Li Siji to praise his virtue. The Tang Dynasty was destroyed, and what exists is an engraving of the Song Dynasty (named Chang 'an Edition). Like Ode to Jieshi and Huiji Stone Carving, this kind of seal script is a standard Qin Zhuan (Xiao Zhuan). Xiao Zhuan's calligraphy style is neatly arranged and the rules are harmonious; The structure is symmetrical, the upper part is tight and the lower part is loose, slender and graceful, and the lines are round and healthy. It is rated as "painting like a stone, making a strong crossbow".
Because the strokes of Xiao Zhuan are straight, even and round, it is also called "jade-style character".
The original stone of Yishan stone carving was destroyed as early as when Cao Cao climbed the mountain, leaving only an inscription. What is now hidden in Xi 'an Stele Forest was carved by the Song Dynasty people according to the copy of Xu Xuan in the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties. After Qin Lisi, there were five generations of seal script, namely Xu Xuan and Li in Tang Dynasty, Deng, Wu Changshuo and Qi Baishi in Qing Dynasty.
The stone carvings in Qin dynasty not only achieved its spiritual purpose, but also created a method to make calligraphy last forever and opened up a new art form of calligraphy. There are two schools of calligraphy art in China, one is the study of steles, and the other is the study of calligraphy, and the stone carvings in Qin Dynasty undoubtedly created the study of steles.