Chapter 48 Three, three major stone carvings

In the Confucian Temple and Guozijian, there are three major stone inscriptions: the stone drum of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the inscription tablet of Jinshi, and the stone inscription of the Thirteen Classics. Shigu is a cultural relic of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (one said Qin). There are 10 pieces in total, each weighing about one ton. It is known as the "ancestor of stone carvings" in China.Unearthed in Fengxiang, Shaanxi in Tang Dynasty.Yun Bianjing (now Kaifeng) in the Northern Song Dynasty.The gold was trapped in Bianjing and transported to Yanjing (now Beijing).The death of Jin and the prosperity of Yuan Dynasty are listed around the Dacheng Gate of the Confucian Temple. (Volume 61 of "Kingding Guozijian Zhi") Ming and Qing Dynasties are still the same.On the eve of the Anti-Japanese War, cultural relics moved southward, accompanied by stone drums.Eight years after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Shigu returned to Beijing and is now in the Palace Museum.The existing stone drum outside the Dacheng Gate is a replica of the Qianlong Dynasty.There are also stone steles such as "Song of the Stone Drum" written by Han Yu, a calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty.

Jinshi Inscription Monument Ming and Qing imperial examinations were held every three years.From the thirteenth year of Yongle (1415) in the Ming Dynasty, Yiweike began to hold general examinations and palace examinations in Beijing, and to the sixteenth year of Chongzhen (1643) in Guiweike, there were a total of 77 subjects, and 22,649 people became Jinshi in Beijing.In the Qing Dynasty, a total of 114 general examinations and palace examinations were held, and 26,840 people became Jinshi in Beijing.In the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), there were more than 16,000 candidates for the examination.The youngest candidate for the examination is 16 years old and the oldest is 103 years old.

The names of the inscriptions on the Beijing Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties are engraved on stone tablets and stand in the Confucian Temple. This is the Jinshi Inscription Tablet.In the Ming Dynasty, the words on the inscriptions of the Jinshi in the Yuan Dynasty were often rubbed off, and the names of the Jinshi at that time were engraved, so there are few steles inscribed by the Jinshi in the Yuan Dynasty.There are 198 steles inscribed by Jinshi from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties in the Confucius Temple, including 3 Yuan steles, 77 Ming steles, and 118 Qing steles. The names, native places and ranks of 51,624 Jinshi are recorded on them, which is a precious cultural heritage.

Jiang Heng wrote the scriptures Jiang Heng (1672-1743), a native of Jintan, Jiangsu, was originally named Heng, but changed his name to Zhensheng, with the character Zhuocun and the name Xiangfan.Both grandfather and father are good at calligraphy, inherited from the family when they were young, copied from childhood, especially Gong Xingkai, and achieved success through hard work.It is difficult to achieve great success without calendar training.Jiang Heng did not pass the examination, so he changed his mind to study abroad, wandering around the rivers and lakes, looking for teachers and friends, learning calligraphy, and traveled half of the country.According to historical records: "Mr. traveled far and never met, so he went to Qufu in the east, visited Confucius, went to Kuaiji, crossed the Xijiang River, traveled to Song Shao, guided Jingchu, climbed Huangheji, passed Dayuling, ascended Baihefeng, visited Dongpo's former residence, arrived in Qionghai, watched the sunrise of Fusang, climbed Yanmen Mountain, experienced Jingxing, crossed Longmen, and traveled to Zhongnan Mountain, bathed in the hot spring of Lishan Mountain, climbed the Yan Pagoda of Ci'en Temple, and looked at the gold and stone inscriptions in the stele cave. So I follow my own way with brush and ink, compose poems and paint pictures, or sing and cry, and I can't stop myself." (The first edition of "Guo Chao Qi Xian Lei Zheng Jiang Heng Biography", Volume 433).

When he was observing the forest of steles in Chang'an, he felt that the "Kaicheng Stone Classic" in the Tang Dynasty came from many hands and was messy, so he vowed to rewrite the "Thirteen Classics". China has a tradition of carving stone scriptures. There are seven important times: The second is the "Xiping Stone Classic", which was included in the Seven Classics of the Eastern Han Dynasty, engraved on 46 stone tablets, and has more than 200,000 characters.Cai Yong used the official script that was popular at that time, "When the stele was erected, those who watched and copied it filled the streets with more than a thousand vehicles every day."The second time is "Zhengshi Stone Classic", which was engraved during the Wei Zhengshi period (240-249) of the Three Kingdoms period.The third time is "Kaicheng Stone Classic", which was established from the seventh year of Tang Dahe (833) to the second year of Kaicheng (837).The Nine Classics, the first supervised edition of engraving and printing in the Five Dynasties, was based on this, and it is now preserved in the Forest of Steles in Xi'an.The fourth time is "Guangzheng Stone Classic", which was engraved in Chengdu in the seventh year of Guangzheng in Later Shu (944), and then continued until the Song Dynasty. It lasted for a hundred years and had more than a thousand stones.The fifth time is the "Jiayou Stone Classic" in the Northern Song Dynasty. There are still 44 residual stones in Hangzhou today.There are remnants of this handed down.The sixth is the "Shaoxing Stone Classic" of the Southern Song Dynasty. There are still 44 residual stones in Hangzhou today.The seventh time is the "Qianlong Stone Classics" of the Qing Dynasty, that is, the "Thirteen Classics inscribed on stones" written by Jiang Heng, which was stored in Guozijian. ——"Book of Changes", "Shangshu", "Mao Shi", "Zhou Li", "Book of Rites", "Rituals", "Chunqiu Zuo Zhuan", "Chunqiu Gongyang Zhuan", "Chunqiu Guliang Biography", "Mencius", "Xiaojing" and "Book of Filial Piety" Erya".Make up your mind and stay determined.In the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign (1726), Yingshan was awarded the teaching instruction, claiming to be a lack of talent, and he refused to give up.When he was halfway through the book, his boss urged him to take up his post again. He still used his old illness as an excuse, so he wrote a letter to ask for his release.He devoted himself to writing scriptures at Qionghua Temple in Yangzhou, that is, fan xi temple (now No. 360 Wenchang Middle Road, Yangzhou City).Back then, in the Qionghua Temple, the pavilions, terraces, pavilions, flowers and stones in Xuanfang were burned and built several times, and the legacy still exists.Today Yangzhou takes Qionghua as its city flower.Jiang Heng was in Qionghua Temple in Yangzhou, accompanied by a blue lantern, Zhongzheng and Lingjing, holding the tube without stopping, and writing scriptures with great determination.From the fourth year of Yongzheng (1726) to the second year of Qianlong (1737), "Jianhu twelve years, writing thirteen classics" ("Qing History Draft·Jiang Heng Biography", volume 530), more than 620,000 characters, neatly written , unprecedented.In the middle of Qianlong, he advanced, and later Emperor Qianlong ordered stone engraving of Chinese studies, which was awarded to Heng Guozi to supervise the study, but he did not come out.Dacheng is famous and always behind him.The "Thirteen Classics" written by Jiang Heng, 50 years after his death, Emperor Qianlong ordered the "Thirteen Classics" written by Jiang Heng to be engraved in stone.

Jiang Heng's success in writing the "Thirteen Classics" was helped by three noble people: The first is Ma Riguan, a wealthy businessman from Yangzhou.Ma invested two thousand gold to mount Jiang Heng's handwritten "Thirteen Classics" into three hundred volumes and fifty letter volumes. ("Biography of Qing History", Volume 71) Only then can it be dedicated to Emperor Qianlong. The second is Gao Bin, governor of Jiangnan River.In the fifth year of Qianlong (1740), Gao Bin presented the text of the "Thirteen Classics" written by Jiang Heng in a framed book to Emperor Qianlong.It is collected in the Da Nei Maoqin Hall. "Ink Traces of the Thirteen Classics of Jiang Hengshu" (seven boxes), 300 volumes, 50 letters, now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei.According to the measurements of Lin Tianren, a researcher of the Academy, the leaf width of "The Thirteen Classics of Jiang Hengshu" is 19 centimeters wide and 33 centimeters high.There are also two sets of rubbings, the leaves are 14.5 cm wide and 28 cm high.Qing rewarded Jiang Heng Guozi Supervisor with the title of Xuezheng (Zhengbapin), but he never came out of the mountain.

The third is Emperor Qianlong.After Jiang Heng's handwritten "Thirteen Classics" were submitted, Emperor Qianlong wanted to engrave and print them first, but failed.In the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong (1791), it was ordered to use Jiang Heng's handwritten "Thirteen Classics" as the base, and engrave the stone Taixue, named "Qianlong Stone Classic".In the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong (1794), the stone tablet was carved and erected in the six East and West Halls of the Guozijian.There are 189 stone steles in total, plus 1 stele with the inscription "Decree" written in Gaocheng, making a total of 190 steles, which are now in the collection of the Confucius Temple and Guozijian Museum in Beijing.

The "Thirteen Classics inscribed on stone" written by Jiang Heng and carved on stone by Qianlong is the "Qianlong Stone Classic". It is the only one in China and unique in the world, so it has become a rare treasure in the treasure house of culture and art in China and the world. In 1956, the stone scriptures were moved to the lane between the Confucian Temple and the Guozijian for exclusive storage. In 1981, a roof was added to the lane. Rebuilt in 2011, sheltered from wind and rain, constant temperature and humidity, and properly protected.This is the most complete stone carving of the Thirteen Classics in China.

In addition, the five characters "Huaidong First View" outside the east wall of Daming Temple in Yangzhou today were written by Jiang Heng.After Jiang Heng's death, he was buried under the slope outside Daming Temple in Yangzhou. There are "Jiang Heng's Book Thirteen Classics Ink Inscriptions", "Zhuo Cun Tang Poetry and Prose Collection", "Zhu Cun Tang Lin Gu Tie", "Calligraphy Theory" and so on. The strong wind knows the strong grass, and the autumn frost sees the persimmon red.Represented by Li Shimian, Xu Yuanmeng, Wang Yirong, Jiang Heng, etc., the upright scholars of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were determined to learn, tenacious and upright, they succeeded and failed, and failed again, with outstanding academic performance and integrity. Later generations admire.