People who like calligraphy all know the "Yi He Ming" on Jiaoshan Mountain in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. Known as the "Ancestor of Large Characters," the "Yi He Ming" holds an important place in the history of Chinese calligraphy and is a genuine calligraphy masterpiece that many enthusiasts long to see.
In the Ming Dynasty, the literati Zhang Dai wrote in his "Dream Memories of Tao'an": "One day we set sail for Jiaoshan Mountain, which was even more winding and pleasing. The river curved around the mountain, with clear water revealing no hidden depths. Sea pigs and sea horses would rise to eat when fed, as tame as domesticated fish. We viewed the Crystal Palace, sought out the 'Yi He Ming,' and found the mountain free of human distraction, tranquil as ancient times."
The Jiaoshan Stele Forest is a national key cultural relic protection unit, consisting of cliff inscriptions and stele forest exhibitions.
The cliff inscriptions surround the western steep cliffs of Jiaoshan Mountain, stretching over two hundred meters with great momentum, preserving more than a hundred stone carvings from the Six Dynasties onward, each displaying different styles of regular script, cursive script, official script, and seal script. The original site of the "Yi He Ming," revered by calligraphers throughout the ages as the "Ancestor of Large Characters," is located here. The cliff still preserves Tang Dynasty carvings of the "Diamond Sutra Verses," Song Dynasty carvings of the "Magnificent Pavilion Site Yi He Ming" and "Mi Fu's Inscription," and "Lu You's Observation of the Snow to View the Yi He Ming," all of which are excellent works and extremely valuable.
All cultures, whether modern or ancient traditional ones, require material carriers, and text is the most basic element of such carriers. Text is as essential as three meals a day, indispensable at any moment; even the most illiterate person at least knows the words on Renminbi. Words are closely related to our daily lives, study, and work.
A person who writes beautiful brush or pen characters is envied, so much so that people regard calligraphy as a standard reflecting one’s worldview and moral cultivation. For example, Chairman Mao's cursive script conveys grandeur and a universe-encompassing chest, akin to his great political sentiment as a leader. In the calligraphy of Zhao Puchu, the chairman of the Buddhist Association, one can sense a strong Zen atmosphere between the lines. When you see the signs of small restaurants and shops on the street, there is immediately a sense of slickness and pretentiousness.
"The style of writing reflects the person" is a widely accepted view among the masses, but it is not entirely true. Human thought structures are extremely complex, and summarizing them with this term seems overly simplistic and biased. For instance, Cai Jing, the treacherous prime minister in "Water Margin," had excellent calligraphy. Wu Yong had someone copy his handwriting to save Song Jiang, indicating how popular Cai Jing's font was at the time. Unfortunately, a flaw in the seal led to the story of the rescue at Jiangzhou execution ground. Another example is Qin Hui, the notorious villain of the Southern Song Dynasty who executed Yue Fei. Qin Hui was the top scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty, and his calligraphy was also first-class. His calligraphy is still in use today. The well-known "Fang Song" font is said to mainly derive from Qin Hui's handwriting. Because of Qin Hui's infamous reputation, people cleverly renamed it "Fang Song." Even Yan Song, the treacherous prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, had quite remarkable calligraphy.