Tieshan Cliff Carvings

CHINA, Shandong, Zoucheng; Northern Zhou dynasty

Written by the monk An Daoyi of the Northern Zhou dynasty (557–581), this inscription was carved on a huge granite rock at the south of Tieshan in Zouxian (present day Zoucheng, Shandong). The inscriptions on Tieshan come in three parts. First, the sutra text; second, an introductory section that describes the rocks and background of the inscription works; and third, an enumeration that credits the calligraphers and donors. The most famous engraving among these is the Diamond Sutra. The sutra consists of 17 lines in over 800 words, with each character measuring 40 to 60 cm wide. The inscription site was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1988.
The famous cliff inscriptions of the Northern Dynasties (386–581) are found on Jianshan, Tieshan, Geshan and Gangshan. They feature Buddhist texts and are collectively known as the Four Cliff Inscriptions.
This sutra inscription is a cross between clerical and regular scripts, but with features of seal and cursive scripts as well. This exotic calligraphy is bold, yet free in character while being vigorous and elegant at the same time. It can be considered a match for the exquisite Diamond Sutra inscription on Taishan. The work was praised by Kang Youwei in Extended Treatise on the Two Oars of the Boat of Arts as “bridging between the clerical and regular scripts with an appropriate use of linear and curved strokes, this outstanding, vigorous, simple yet austere work is the most exemplary of grid-arrayed calligraphy.”