The difference between Fei Zhi Stele and Zhang Qian Stele:
"Fei Zhi Stele" is a stele inscribed in the second year of Jianning in the Eastern Han Dynasty (169). Its full name is "Henan Liangdong". "The Monument of Anle Feijun", also known as "The Monument of Xu Xiaochang Built for Fei Zhi and His Father", etc. There is no name of the author. It is a work of official calligraphy and is now in the collection of Yanshi Shangcheng Museum.
"Zhang Qian Stele" is also known as "Zhang Qian Biao Ode", and its full name is "Han Gugu City Chang Dang Yin Order Zhang Jun Biao Ode". It is a calligrapher written by an unknown calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and a stone inscription by Sun Xing, a stele engraver of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is a work of official calligraphy. This stele was erected in the third year of Zhongping (186) in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was unearthed in the early Ming Dynasty and is now collected in the stele gallery of Dai Temple in Taishan, Shandong.
The creative background of "Zhang Qian Stele"
This stele was erected in Dongping County, Shandong Province in the third year of Zhongping (186), Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is a tribute to Zhang Qian when he was in power in Gucheng. There are many political achievements of benefiting the government; the name of the official who erected the monument and the amount of the donation are engraved on the back of the stele.
The monument advocated moving, with the courtesy name Gongfang, and a native of Chen Liujiwu (now in Ningling, Henan). He once served as the head of Gucheng (now northwest of Luoyang City, Henan Province) and the magistrate of Dangyin (now Tangyin County, Henan Province). The inscription was erected by the late official Wei Meng and others to commemorate his merits. The calligraphy on the stele is in many different styles. The name of the person who signed the inscription was not signed. The person who carved the stone was Sun Xing.
In the early Qing Dynasty, Gu Yanwu's "Epigraphic Notes" suspected that this stele was copied by later generations. However, most archaeologists and epigraphers believe that its calligraphy style is square and simple, and that it is not from the Han Dynasty. It cannot be done, and the traces of peeling off the surface of the stele cannot be done by humans. Therefore, there is no doubt that it is the original stele from the Han Dynasty.