Liu Gongquan's rare small regular script "Original Dao Stele"
[Statue of Liu Gongquan]
Liu Gongquan (778-865), courtesy name Chengxuan, Han nationality, was a native of Hedong County (now Yongji, Shanxi) in the Tang Dynasty and a great calligrapher. Liu Gongquan was granted the title of Duke of Hedong County, which was later also called "Liu Hedong". Gongquan was the successor of Yan Zhenqing, who was also known as "Yan Liu" in later generations and became a model of calligraphy in the past dynasties. Together with Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing and Zhao Mengfu, he is known as the "Four Masters of Regular Script"
"Yuan Dao Stele" is a relatively rare small regular script written by Liu Gongliu. The style of the work is vigorous and handsome, and the font is powerful and rich. Although this stele is rarely circulated, it is quite popular. "Yuan Dao" is a representative work by Han Yu, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty, who advocated Confucianism and denounced Buddhism and Laoism. The viewpoints in the article are clear-cut, both breaking and establishing, quoting the present and the past, analyzing it layer by layer from the aspects of historical development, social life, etc., refuting the wrongdoings of the Buddha and the Elders, and discussing the true nature of Confucianism, which boils down to the purpose of restoring ancient ways and respecting Confucianism.
