Introduction
Amenhirasamemorialormarker.Engravingmoretextisintendedtobefaraway.Asteleisastoneblockerectedinapalace,mausoleumortempletorecordthings.Thesteleiscomposedofthreeparts:theheadofthestele,thebodyofthestele,andthebaseofthestele.
Intheearlydaysofthestele,thereweretwotypes:roundheadandpointedhead.ThisisroughlyrelatedtothetwokindsofceremonialjadefromtheZhoudynasty,WanGuiandYanGui.SincetheWeiandJindynasties,theheadofthestelehasgraduallydevelopedintoadecorativereliefwithapatternofpanworms.
Thebodyofthesteleisthemainpartofthestele.Itisgenerallyaverticalrectangularboulder.Thefrontofthesteleiscalled"SteleYang".Mainlyengravedtext.Thegeneralruleofancientstelecarvingisthetitleofthestele.Theofficialscriptisadopted.Called"Title";insealscript.Called"sealamount".Thebackofthesteleiscalled"BeiYin".
Thesteleseatisthestoneseatonwhichthestelebodyisplaced,andiscalled"趺".Intheearlydays,thepedestalwasasimplerectanglewiththe"FourGods"ofSuzaku,Xuanwu,Qinglong,andWhiteTigeroneachside.
Decorationofthestele
Theformofthesteleisnotonlyreflectedinitsoverallshape,butalsointhedetailsofthedecoration.
Theheadofthestele
Inancientsteles,mostoftheheadsofthesteleweseeareexactlythe"panlong"formstipulatedinthe"BuildingFrench".However,thenumberofPanlongdependsonthethicknessofthestele,sonotallofthemaresix.InQianlingoftheTangDynasty,QianxianCounty,Shaanxi,therewasastonestelewithfourdragonscarvedoneachside,atotalofeightpanlongs,andmanythinstelesalsohadfourpanlongswithtwooneachside.Thewindingpostureofthedragonontheheadofthesteledoesnotalwaysmaintainasingleform.Exceptforthedragonheadsonbothsidesoftheheadofthesteleandthedragonbodyflexingonthefront,somedragonheadsranuptothefrontoftheheadofthestele.TherearealsoasmallnumberofstonesteleswhoseheadsresembletheshapeofFrench-stylewatheads.Theyaresimplesquarewithroundedshoulders,buttheyarestilldecoratedwithcarveddragonsonthefrontandbacksides.Therearetwosingledragonsplayingwiththebead,thereareafewwanderingdragonstumblingintheclouds,andtherearealsothosewithagiantdragonentwinedattheheadofthemonument,withthedragonheadprotrudingfromthecenterofthemonument,andtheformisveryfree.ThedecorativecarvingsofthiskindofPanlongsteleheadmostlyliketousehighcarvings,withgreatupsanddowns,resultinginstrongshadows,thusaccentuatingtheshapeofthedragon.TheheadofthesteleofLongquanTempleinWutaiMountain,ShanxiProvinceevenusedthetechniqueofopenwork,anditsstrongeffectisconsistentwiththestyleofthestonearchwayofLongquanTemple.Inadditiontomostofthesteleheadsareintheformofapanlong,theyarealsointheformofhouseroofs.
Thebodyofthestele
Thebodyofthesteleisthemostimportantpartofthestele.Bothfrontandbacksidescanbeusedforwritingandengraving.Therefore,manystelebodiesarenotdecorated.Iftherearedecorations,theywillbeconcentratedTheleftandrightsidesandtheperimeterofthefrontandback.Thepatternsusedindecorationaremostlydragonpatternsandplantbranchesandleavespatterns,oracombinationofthetwoofthem.OnthesidesofmanystonestelesintheTangDynasty,youcanseethecarvingswithcurlygrasspatterns.Curlygrassisakindofplant'sbranchesandleaves.Itischaracterizedbyplumpimageandchiclines.Itiscalled"Tanggrass"andhasbecomeasymbolofthepeakofthedevelopmentofChinesedecorativepatterns.OnmanystonestelesintheQingDynasty,thebordersonbothsidesofthesteleandaroundthetextmostlyliketousedragonpatterns,andtheyarehigh-relief.Theprotrudingdragonpatternsmakethesteleappearheavy,whichdamagestheintegrityandshapeofthestele.correct.
TheSteleSeat
TheimageofBianquan,whichisthebaseofthestele,isshapedquiterealistically.TheBianquanlyingontheground,itsfourlegsproppedontheground,anditsheadprotrudingforward.Heliftedslightlyupwards,coveredwithhardarmoronhisback,withhexagonaltortoiseshellpatternsonthenail,andtheeyes,nose,mouth,teeth,tongue,andcoiledtailoftheheadwereallcarefullyportrayed.Itcanbeseenthatthemoreandfinerthecarvingsontheheadandbodyofthestele,themoredelicatethedepictionofthebase.Thereisalsoarectangularhumponthebackoftheorgan,supportingthebodyofthemonumentabove.Judgingfromtheoverallstyling,thequalityofthebodyshowsanattitudethatisnotonlyunderpressurebutnotverystrenuous.Thestraightshapeofthesteleseatisverysquare,buttherearemanycarvingsonthefourverticalfacesoftheseat,especiallydragonpatternsareusedonthefrontandrearfaces.Somedoubledragonsfaceeachother,andthereisaflameorbinthecenter;ThetwodragonscruisingamongthefloatingcloudsinBaoshan;somearedecoratedwithgrassdragons,andthegrasspatternsonthebodyandfeetofthedragonarecoveredwithsteleseats.Thesecarvingsmostlyuselowrelieftomaintaintheintegrityofthestele.Someofthestelebaseswithhighrelief,becausethecarvingsaretooprominent,onthecontrarydestroytheoverallimageofthestelebase.
Theshapeofthestele
Thesteleisanindependentsketchbuilding,soithasitsownshape.IntheSongDynasty"BuildingtheFrenchStyle"thereisasectiondedicatedtothestonesteleandthestoneinlaysystem,whichhasaverycleardescriptionoftheshapeofthesteleandtheinlay.Thefirstoneiscalled"AozaoTablet",whichisthemostcommonlyusedstonetabletinSongDynasty.Itsshapeischaracterizedbytheheadofthetablet,thebodyofthetabletandtheAozaotablet.TheFrenchstipulation:"ThesystemofmakingastelefortheAo:itsheadisaPanlong,andtheAositsunderneathit.Itsitsoutsidethesoillining,andtheheadistenfeetandeightfeethigh."AbouttheheadofthePanlongstele,itisinFrenchstyle.Said:"Thebottomisaclouddisk,andtheupperoneisthesixintersectingdragons,andthesealoftheheavenlypalaceiscarvedintheheart."Tothe"sitting"style,"thesteleisaslongasfourinchesandfivecentimetershigh,andthehumpiswide.Threepoints,therestismadebyturtles."Mr.LiangSichengdrewthestandardstylemapoftheSongDynastystonestelesbyreferringtoalargenumberofexamplesofancientstonestelesinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe"BuildingMethod".Itcanbeseenfromthepicturethattheheadsofthesixcoileddragonsattheheadofthesteleareallonthesideofthestele,withthreeoneachside.Thefrontandbackofthestelearesurroundedbythe"ZhuetianTemple"partinthecenter.Thisiswherethestele'snameisengraved.Thereisaclouddiskseparatingtheheadofthesteleandthebodyofthestele.Theso-called"AoZuo",becausethebigtortoiseintheseawascalledAoinancienttimes,soAoZuoisamonumentbasemadeofabigtortoise.Accordingtoancientmythsandlegends,theGonggongclancouldnottouchthemountaininanger,theTianzhuwasbroken,andtheearthwaslacking.TheNuwaclan’ssquatwasenoughtosupportthefourpolesoftheearth.Theweightofthesmallstonesteleisnaturallynotaproblem.