The Confucius Temple Monument is the Wei Monument.
1. Historical background of Wei stele
Wei stele is the style of stele inscriptions in Weizhou (now Anyang, Henan) during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Weizhou is located in the plain of the middle reaches of the Yellow River. It has fertile soil and is rich in stone. It is the political, economic and cultural center.
2. Characteristics of the Wei stele
The font of the Wei stele is dignified and beautiful, and the strokes are powerful. Wei steles often use incised and round engravings to make the fonts thick and mellow. Wei steles are mainly written in official texts and have a wide range of uses, including imperial decrees, sacrificial plaques, tomb inscriptions, architectural inscriptions, etc.
3. The historical origin of the Confucius Temple Stele
The Confucius Temple Stele was erected in front of the Confucius Temple during the Wuzong period of the Tang Dynasty (836-839). The Confucius Temple Monument aims to commend Confucius for his contribution to Confucianism. It includes the respect of Confucius through the ages, the essence of Confucius’ thought and the responsibilities of Confucius’ descendants. There were originally two Confucius temple tablets. The existing one is the southern one, which is 3.4 meters high and 1.35 meters wide. It is engraved with 30 lines and the word spacing is 12 mm.
4. The research value of the Confucius Temple Stele
The content of the Confucius Temple Stele comprehensively reflects the understanding and evaluation of Confucius’ thoughts by Confucianists in the Tang Dynasty at that time. As a combination of Tang Dynasty bronze verse and stele carving art, the Confucius Temple Stele has high aesthetic and historical value. The inscription style and brushwork of the Confucius Temple Stele demonstrate the level and style of calligraphy in the northern region at that time.
In fact, "Confucius Temple Stele" is not only an outstanding representative of the stone carving culture of the Tang Dynasty, but also one of the important examples of ancient Chinese calligraphy art. Its fonts are strong and powerful, the writing force is strong and powerful, the pen is rigorous, the ink color is strong and light gray, and it is full of charm and artistic value.
At the same time, because the monument has been repaired and moved many times in history, it has very important research value in many fields such as history, architecture, and archaeology. In recent years, in order to better protect the national treasure-level cultural relic "Confucius Temple Stele", relevant units have also carried out comprehensive restoration and installation of the stele, with a view to promoting its better inheritance and promotion and contributing to the development of Chinese civilization. strength.