The "Cao Quan Stele" was erected by Wang Chang and others of the Eastern Han Dynasty to commemorate Cao Quan's merits and virtues under the orders of Heyang. This stele was erected in October of the second year of Zhongping, Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty (185). There are 20 lines on the upper side of the stele, with 45 characters in each line; there are 33 lines of inscriptions on the lower side of the stele, divided into 5 horizontal columns. The style of the calligraphy is official script, and the seal script has been lost for a long time. The entire monument contains 1,165 words. The monument is 253 cm high and 123 cm wide.
This stele was unearthed in Xinli Village, Heyang (now Heyang, Shaanxi Province) in the early Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It is said that the stele broke at the end of the Ming Dynasty. What people usually see are mostly rubbings after the break. It is now preserved in the Forest of Steles Museum in Xi'an, and Ming rubbings are in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Shanghai Museum. "Cao Quan Stele" is one of the representative works of the late Eastern Han Dynasty when official script was fully mature.
It records Cao Quan’s suppression of the Yellow Turban Uprising at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is an important historical material for studying the peasant uprising at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is also one of the few extant stone tablets from the Han Dynasty in China that are relatively complete and have relatively clear fonts. The characters are evenly knotted, and the pens used are both square and round, but mainly round pens. They are graceful and beautiful, and are representative of the beautiful style in Han Li.
Extended information:
The strokes of "Cao Quan Stele" are mainly round and solid seal strokes, with excellent shape and quality. This is reflected in the beginning, line and residence of the strokes. have been fully reflected. Due to the full use of the center and the "softness" of the strokes, his strokes are extremely vivid, and "roundness" and "toughness" have become the main characteristics of his strokes. However, the strokes of this stele are not purely "round and even"; sharp and vigorous lines can be seen from time to time between the interlacing strokes. It is precisely because of this that "Cao Quan Monument" has a gorgeous and colorful style. What's more valuable is that this kind of change of hardness and softness can often be done alternately in the same stroke. As the saying goes, "Turns and turns have both uses, and folds have to be raised first and pressed later."