In the history of Chinese calligraphy, the first person to engrave monuments in running script was Tang Taizong Li Shimin.
Li Shimin (599-649), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, was the second son of Emperor Gaozu Yaoyuan and the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He was an outstanding emperor in the history of our country. He not only pushed our country's feudal society to its heyday, but also personally advocated calligraphy. The calligraphy of the Tang Dynasty became a glorious page in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
In his spare time, Taizong was very fond of calligraphy and ink, especially Wang Xizhi's books. He once wrote the "Biography of Wang Xizhi" by himself, and issued an imperial edict to the Imperial Household on gold and silk to collect Xi's legacy of ink and calligraphy. As a result, everything he liked was gathered together, and within a few years, various parties contributed to it. He obtained five volumes of official script and fifty-eight volumes of cursive script, among which the authenticity was mixed. He ordered Wei Zheng, Yu Shinan, and Chu Suiliang to identify them, and also ordered Han Daozheng, Feng Chengsu, and others to copy and reproduce them carefully. The Wang calligraphy became popular all over the world. Every time he got a call from the Second Prince, he asked the princes to copy it hundreds of times. He studied the "Lanting Preface" day and night like a maniac, and even took it back to Zhaoling... "What's good at the top will be great at the bottom." Although King Chong of the Tang and Taisong Dynasties had political needs, due to his preferences, all calligraphy styles in the early Tang Dynasty came under Wang Xizhi's wing. In addition, he used books to obtain official positions, which made calligraphy widely popularized. Therefore, objectively, he played a positive role in promoting the prosperity of calligraphy art in our country.
Taizong's calligraphy was originally taught by Shi Ling, a calligrapher of the Sui Dynasty. According to "Inscriptions on Stones and Stones", "Ling is good at writing, and his writing style is as exquisite as that of Ou and Yu." He often competed with Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, etc. on calligraphy skills, and also It says: "When I read the books of the ancients, I did not learn from their forms, but only sought their strength, and the forms emerged on their own." This reflects Tang Taizong's view of calligraphy, which is also quite open. Later, he fell in love with Xizhi and copied it day and night. He especially loved Youjun's "Lanting Jitie". He kept it beside his pillow and often held a candle to it in the middle of the night, and the book progressed greatly. Taizong's good deeds, grass and feathers were especially good at imitating ancient times, but he was almost lifelike. The "Inscriptions and Postscripts of the Valley" said: "Taizong's brilliance was not limited to others, but he always excelled others. His edicts at the end of the year were in the style of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and they were also precious and could not be discarded." Learn from you." The handed down works include "Jin Temple Inscription", "Hot Spring Inscription", "Screen Post" and so on.
