Editorial Department of Zhonghua Book Company 
Zhang Qian Monument 

Zhang Qian”s Monument was established in Gucheng County, Dongjun (now southwest of Pingyin County, Shandong) in the third year of Zhongping of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Ling Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was unearthed in the early Ming Dynasty and is now housed in the east corridor of Tai”an Dai Temple. Zhang Qian”s Monument is a monument of merit established by the old Gucheng officials after Zhang Qian, the former mayor of Gucheng changed his term to Dangyin. It records Zhang Qian”s political achievements and virtues. Zhang Qian”s Monument inherited the stele of Wei, and it has both the meaning of the script and the meaning of regular script. With the rise of Bei Xue in the Qing Dynasty, the calligraphy value of Zhang Qian”s Monument was rediscovered. Yi Bingshou, Ruan Yuan, Wu Rangzhi, He Shaoji, Shen Zengzhi and others have all copied works handed down. Together with the Cao Quan”s Monument and Zhang Qian”s Monument became a model of official script. Zhang Qian”s stele uses the square as the main pen, the square in the circle is round, clumsy makes perfect, and there is movement in calmness. The strokes are simple and heavy, simple and old, and full of humor. The structure is neat and tight, and the calculation is white as black. The glyphs are big on the top and small on the bottom. They are intricate and interesting. The composition is flexible and changeable, the line spacing is clear, and the kerning is uneven.