South Cave Temple: Stele

CHINA, Gansu, Pingliang; Northern Wei dynasty

This stele, unearthed in the early 20th century from Wangjiagou in Jingchuan county of Pingliang, was erected by Xi Kangsheng and has a title carved in protruding seal script characters. The title reads, “Stele of South Cave Temple,” and above this, a horizontal line in regular script reads, “Bin, Head Monk of South Cave Temple.” The front face of the stele contains 23 lines, however, the lower section is broken and incomplete. There are 56 names inscribed on the partially damaged rear face.
Although regular script was well-developed at the time of its creation, the calligraphy of this stele was rendered in the strong and thick style prevalent during the rule of Emperor Xiaowen (reigned 477–499) of the Northern Wei dynasty; this is likely due to the fact that Gansu was a remote location from the Central Plain. The stout characters appear broad within their laterally-stretched framework, albeit dwarfed in form. Luo Zhenyu, a renowned late Qing dynasty (1644–1911) scholar remarked that this style evolved from the “bafen” (eight parts) and clerical scripts. The overall work features solemn, viscous brushstrokes with a quaint, rustic look.