Xiaozhuan is a popular calligraphy style compiled by Prime Minister Li Si after the unification of Qin.
After Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, he was aware of the complexity of characters and the differences in calligraphy styles across the country, so he proposed "the same text for books", which means unified characters and unified calligraphy styles. Qin Shihuang ordered Li Si, who was good at calligraphy, to do the work. Therefore, Xiaozhuan is also called "Qin Zhuan". Some of the small seal scripts of the Qin Dynasty were cast on ironware, and some were engraved on stone tablets and stone tablets. The characters were large or small, with natural composition, dignified knots, and neat lines. They are the essence and representative of the small seal script.
Based on the large seal script originally used by the Qin Dynasty, Xiaozhuan was simplified, canceled the other Six Kingdoms characters, and created a unified Chinese character writing form. It remained popular in China until the end of the Western Han Dynasty, when it was gradually replaced by official script. But because of its beautiful font, it has always been favored by calligraphers. And because its strokes are complex, its form is ancient, and twists and turns can be added at will, seals were carved in seal script, especially official seals that required anti-counterfeiting, until the fall of the feudal dynasty and the emergence of new anti-counterfeiting technology in modern times.
The representative works of Xiaozhuan in the Qin Dynasty include "Taishan Carved Stone", "Cangjie Pian", "Yanli Pian" and "Erudition Pian".