Liu Gongquan's "Inscription on the Bell Tower of Huiyuan Temple of the Tang Dynasty" 124×60cm, unearthed outside Hepingmen, Xi'an City
"Inscription on the Bell Tower of Huiyuan Temple of the Tang Dynasty" was unearthed outside Hepingmen in Xi'an City in November 1986. Linghu Chu wrote the article, and Liu Gongquan wrote it in regular script. The stone is placed horizontally, 124 cm long, 60 cm wide and 18 cm thick, made of bluestone. The stele is titled "Inscription on the Bell Tower of the Huiyuan Temple of the Tang Dynasty and the Preface", written by Ling Huchu and written in regular script by Liu Gongquan. The inscription has a total of 41 lines, 20 full lines, and a total of 761 characters. It was erected on April 20, the first year of Kaicheng in the Tang Dynasty (836). It was engraved by Shao Jianhe, a famous craftsman at that time. The edge of the knife is clear and it is close to the original.
Not far from the stele, there is a fragment of a prismatic prayer pillar without words and a one-meter-diameter octagonal prayer pillar roof. Judging from the carving style, it should be a relic of the Tang Dynasty. Due to being buried underground for a long time, except for the surface of the stele and more than ten characters due to friction or hammering, the other characters are basically intact and the text can be read in full. The first half of the inscription narrates the historical evolution of Huiyuan Temple in the Tang Dynasty. It mentions that the former site of Huiyuan Temple was originally a residence awarded to Anlu Mountain by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the historical events of the "Anshi Rebellion". The second half of the inscription tells the story of how Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty gave the bronze bell to Hui Yuan for viewing, and praised the beauty of the bell.
Liu Gongquan's calligraphy is famous for his regular script. He is as famous as Yan Zhenqing and is known as "Yan Liu". He is also known as the "Four Masters of Regular Script" together with Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing and Zhao Mengfu. He first learned calligraphy from Wang Xizhi. Later, he studied the calligraphy of famous calligraphers of the Tang Dynasty. He absorbed the strengths of Yan Zhenqing and Ouyang Xun, incorporated new ideas, and created his own unique "Liu style", which is famous for its strong bones. Later generations have "Yan Jin Liu Gu" reputation.
When people today start learning calligraphy, they still prefer calligraphers such as Yan, Liu, Ou, Chu, and Yu of the Tang Dynasty. In particular, Liu Gongquan established a set of regular script standards, which are still a model for people to learn from today. Liu Gongquan made outstanding contributions in the reform and development of calligraphy art. He summarized the development of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty and laid the foundation for the development of regular script as a whole.
