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When we learn calligraphy, we always have to go through an initial stage, during which we mainly copy and imitate, fully appreciate and comprehend the brushwork of masters, and apply them to our own use, so as to lay a solid foundation and prepare for the next step of free creation. The popular copying templates on the market are nothing more than two types of inscriptions and rubbings, such as "Jiucheng Palace Stele", "Duobao Pagoda Stele" and "Xuanmiao Pagoda Stele" are inscriptions, and "Lanting Preface", "Self-written Announcement" and "Sacrificial Essays for Nephews" are ink rubbings.

For a long time, there has been a "debate between stele and calligraphy" in the calligraphy world. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is difficult to say that one is perfect. Taking stele inscriptions as a teacher can improve our writing skills, increase the changes and the spirit of metal and stone; while taking ink marks as a teacher can improve the flexibility of the strokes and handle the subtle details more skillfully.

However, there is a kind of cultural relic that uses stone tablets as "paper" and preserves the delicate and authentic writing state of ink. They are the tomb steles that have been completed but not engraved. They have been found all over the country, but in terms of preciousness and calligraphy level, this type of tomb steles from the Tang Dynasty can be regarded as the best, and any one of them is at the level of "treasure of the museum".

Why are Tang Dynasty inscriptions the most precious? There are three reasons: First, Tang Dynasty "valued the law", and the handwriting was rigorous and exquisite, with delicate strokes and structure, and strict composition and ink method. Second, Tang Dynasty epitaphs combined the rhyme of the Eastern Jin Dynasty with the solemnity of the Northern steles, which can be called a culmination and had a great influence on later generations. Third, the Tang Dynasty epitaphs have rich and complex brushwork, which truly shows the characteristics of the brushwork of calligraphers before the Song Dynasty, and are very easy for beginners to get started.

In summary, Tang Dynasty tombstones are highly respected. Among them, one tombstone has attracted special attention from the calligraphy community, which is the Epitaph of Bai Jun, whose full name is Epitaph of Bai Jun, the Former Chief of Longchuan Prefecture, Yinzhou, Tang Dynasty. This tombstone was discovered in January 2001. At that time, it was hidden in the hands of a farmer, and the Tokto Museum spent money to buy it.

According to the farmer, this tombstone was unearthed near the Shierliancheng site in Zhungeer Banner, Yili League, Inner Mongolia. It is a cultural relic from the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (713-741), more than 1,300 years ago. The surface of the "Bai Jun Tomb Inscription" is square, 35 cm long and wide, and 6 cm thick.

The tomb is a joint tomb of Mr. Bai and his wife. The epitaphs of the two are written on the front and back sides of the stele, with 11 lines on each side and 17 characters per line, 163 characters on the front side and 161 characters on the back side, a total of 327 characters, and the size of each character is about 3 cm. The "Epitaph of Mr. Bai" is written naturally and unrestrainedly, which really reproduces the writing style of the time.

The calligrapher obviously learned from the "Lanting Preface", Chu Suiliang, and Li Yong's brushwork, and also absorbed the brushwork of official script and "scripture writing style", combining regular script and running script. The pen is started with the tip of the brush facing backwards, and the side of the brush is used during the writing. The beginning of the pen is concise and solid, and then the pen is raised to write, with obvious contrast between lightness and heaviness, virtuality and reality. The strokes are upright and powerful, vigorous and elegant. The characters are wide and stretched, with a lively and solemn tone.

Although a thousand years have passed, the ink is still as fresh as if it was written yesterday, giving people the illusion of traveling through time and space. Copying this tombstone carefully will be of great help in learning the calligraphy of the Tang people.