The regular script calligraphy works and cliff stone carvings originally carved on the cliff wall at the western foot of Jiaoshan Mountain in Zhenjiang were handed down by Tao Hongjing, a calligrapher from Southern Liang Dynasty. The original stone carving fell into the river due to a landslide and was salvaged, leaving only five residual stones, which are now displayed in the forest of steles in Jiao Shan, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu.
From left to right, the original text is 12, with 23 words or 25 words in each line, and its content is a commemorative text written by a hermit for a dead crane. This inscription has a muddy font and a flying pen. Although it is regular script, it is also slightly interesting in official script and running script.
The inscription goes from left to right, which is different from the inscription. The lettering size is very different, the characters are scattered and scattered, and the strokes are vigorous and flying, which is used by Fiona Fang. Whether it is strokes or writing, composition is full of changes, forming a simple, light and elegant charm. The art of calligraphy has a great influence on later generations. It is one of the models of regular script since Sui and Tang Dynasties, and it has been praised as the "ancestor of big characters" by calligraphers in past dynasties.
The important inscriptions in the history of the development of calligraphy art in China are treasures in calligraphy and stone carving. Of all the stone carvings in the forest of steles in Jiao Shan, "Yihe Ming" is the first stone tablet. It is the treasure of Zhenjiang Jiao Shan Inscription Museum, and it is also the key cultural relic of the national cultural relics protection unit. Among the numerous stone carvings in China, only Jiao Shan's Yihe Ming and Shaanxi's Shimen Ming are called the kings of historical sites.
Brief introduction of the author
Tao Hongjing (456──536), a native of Liling, Danyang, was a noble family in the Southern Dynasties. His distant ancestor was Tao Qian, the "third-hand Xuzhou" in the Three Kingdoms period. His grandfather Tao Longshan and his father Tao Zhenbao are both famous calligraphers.
Tao Hongjing studied calligraphy at the age of five. By the time he was twenty, he had read thousands of books and was appreciated by Qi Gaodi. After living in seclusion, Jurong Huayang, named Huayang Yizhen, engaged in calligraphy and was highly valued by Liang Wudi. Every time Emperor Wu conquered or appreciated calligraphy, he consulted with him, so he was called "Prime Minister in the Mountain". His works include "The Picture of Two Cows" and "Yang Huatao's Seclusion Collection".