The famous Tang calligrapher,Yan Zhenqing(709-785),wrote three calligraphic works in the regular script over a period of ten years,in order to record the establishment of eighty-one ponds for the release of animals by the Emperor Suzong(711-762,r.756-762)in 759.These were the Stele Inscription of the Pond for Releasing Animals of the World,the Plea for Imperial Calligraphy to Be Used as the Heading for the Stele Inscription of the Pond for Releasing Animals of the World and the Note Engraved on the Verso of the Stele on the Imperial Bestowal of the Heading of the Stele Inscription of the Pond for the Releasing Animals of the World.These three works vividly attest to the flourishing culture of releasing animals in the Tang dynasty.Subsequently,inscriptions carved by court officials,along with imperial edicts,literary creations and folk narratives,collectively formed important pathways for the dissemination of this culture.The driving forces and conscious choices behind these four pathways reflect a culture which extolled virtue,respect for Heaven and the rhythm of Nature,the promotion of benevolence and welfare,and the encouragement of righteousness and punishment of evil.Taking Yan Zhenqing's inscriptions as its starting point,the present paper examines the practice of releasing animals in official and popular contexts during the Tang dynasty,with the aim of exploring the spiritual appeal and cultural tenor implied by this practice.
关键词
顧真卿/放生池碑/放生文化/傳播路徑/精神旨歸
Key words
Yan Zhenqing/Stele of the Pond for the Releasing of Animals/the culture of releasing animals/the pathway of dissemination/spiritual principle
维普
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