The Landscape of Words: Stone Inscriptions in Early and Medieval China PDF
Preview The Landscape of Words: Stone Inscriptions in Early and Medieval China
TH 8LA N D S C A PE OF WORDS S t o n e I n s c r ip t io n s f r o m Early a n d M e d ie v a l C h in a R obert £. H a rris t麵 THE L A N D S C A P E OF WORDS THE LANDSCAPE OF WORDS Stone Inscriptions from Early and Medieval China ROBERT E. HARRISTJR. University of Washington Press Seattle and London The Landscape of Words: Stone Inscriptions from Early and Medieval China is published with the assistance of the Getty Foundation. The book also received generous support from Columbia University. © 2008 by the University of Washington Press Printed in China 12 11 10 09 08 54321 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. University of Washington Press P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145 U.S.A. www.washington.edu/uwpress Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Harrist, Robert E.，Jr. ' The landscape of words: stone inscriptions from early and medieval China / Robert E. Harrist Jr. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. iSBN-13: 978-0-295-98728-6 (alk. paper) isBN-io: 0-295-98728-6 (alk. paper) 1. Petroglyphs— China. I. Title. II. Title: Stone inscriptions from early and medieval China. GN799.P4H3345 2008 709.01130931— dc22 2007009851 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z 39.48-1984. FRONTISPIECE： Passage from the Diamond Sutra. Undated, ca. 570—580. Stone inscription, each character ca. 50 cm high. Sutra Valley, Mt. Tai, Tai，an, Shandong. Photo： Author. To Weizhi and Jack, who went to the mountains with me Acknowledgments ix Note to the Reader xiii Chronology of Chinese Dynasties xv Introduction Writing on the Bones of the Earth 17 Chapter One Public Works and Public Writing at the Stone Gate 31 Chapter Two Roaming with Immortals on Cloud Peak Mountain 93 Chapter Three The Virtual Stele on Mount Tie and the Merits of Scale 157 Chapter Four Imperial Writing and the Ascent of Mount Tai 219 Chapter Five Postscript 271 Chinese Texts 291 Abbreviations 299 Notes 301 Glossary of Chinese Characters 353 Bibliography 361 Index 387 f Research for this book began with a trip to China in the summer of 1998. The scholars, friends, and relatives that my wife and I encountered on that trip, and on later visits, made it possible to complete my work, and it is to these remarkable people that I must first offer my thanks. In Beijing, Mr. Shi Anchang，of the Palace Museum, loaned me an essential book at just the moment I needed it. Professor Liu Tao, of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, also has offered research materials and good advice over the years. Profes sor Yang Xin, of Beijing University, shared his profound knowledge of Mt. Tai and helped arrange my fi-rst trip to the mountain. Professor Zhang Zong，of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, shared his immense knowledge of Buddhism, and Professor Luo Zhao, also of the academy, enthusiastically guided me on an unforget table visit to the Yunjusi. My old friends Chris and Freda Murck repeatedly offered hospitality and good cheer in Beijing, the city that has become their home. In Qingdao, my wife’s uncle Mr. Lu Zongyou helped me reach Cloud Peak Mountain. Ms. Chi drove us there, and her daughter, Tiantian, climbed the mountain with us. Mayor Li ofLaizhou treated us royally and escorted us to other mountains. On a later visit, Mr. Leonard Wang, of Qingdao University, guided me on a visit to Mt. Lao. The key institution in China that made my research possible was the Shan dong Stone Carving Art Museum in Jinan. There I met one of the most remarkable ， scholars I know, Mr. Lai Fei, whose knowledge of writing on stone in all its forms is unsurpassed. He has become a good friend to my family, and we look forward to many future visits with him. Also at the museum, Director Jiao Desen offered patient encouragement and facilitated my research on several visits. Mr. Zhang Guangcun generously shared his knowledge and gave me a manuscript of a forthcoming article. Thanks to Mr. Wei Guangping, of the Shandong Youth Travel Bureau, I was able to participate in two extraordinary study tours with scholars from China and Japan. In Taian Mr. Liu Hui, director of the Temple of Mt. Tai, gave me important ， ， information about inscriptions on Mt. Tai and presented me with a copy of his book, which proved to be a valuable source. Mr. Hu Xinli, director of the Cultural Relics Bureau in Zoucheng, was a wonderful host during visits to Mt. Tie and other moun tains, and his son, Hu Mingche, made sure I did not fall down. Mr. Hua Rende, of the Suzhou University Library, a superb calligrapher and scholar, invited me and my wife to his home and helped us gain useful introductions to scholars in the Suzhou area. In Hanzhong, I had the great honor to meet the former director of the Han- zhong Municipal Museum, Mr. Guo Rongzhang. Mr. Guo, the world’s foremost expert on the inscriptions at the Stone Gate, offered wise counsel and sent important research materials. He also provided rare photographs of the inscriptions that appear among the illustrations in this book. The current director of the museum, Mr. Feng Suiping，generously arranged a trip to the Lingyansi, which my wife, son, and I always will remember. Lis Jung Lu and Lu Dadong, brilliant young scholars who live in Hangzhou, also provided important information and excellent color photographs. During visits to Fuzhou, my mother-in-law, Ms. Lu Binfang, took care of all the family, just as she does when she is in New York, and my wife’s uncle Mr. Wang Quan tirelessly accompanied me on trips to Mt. Gu and many other sites and helped me find books published locally that cannot be acquired elsewhere. Mr. Liu Xiangru, an expert on Fuzhou history, also helped me find materials and guided me around the city he knows so well. During study trips in China in 2002 and 20051 had the good fortune to meet three scholars from Japan whose writings are cited throughout my book and whose advice I valued greatly Professors Kiriya Seiichi, Aikawa Masayuki, and Sakata ： Ryuichi. With great generosity, Professor Sakata sent me a cache of extraordinary photographs, from which many of the illustrations in chapter 2 were taken. Throughout the course of my research on mountain inscriptions，I have been inspired by the work of Professor Lothar Ledderose，of Heidelberg University, whose own studies of carved calligraphy set a high standard for the rest of us. His friend ship and advice have been equally treasured. Professor Jessica Rawson kindly took time from her own work at Oxford to read, in various stages of completion, all the chapters of this book, offering stimulating suggestions and cheering me up on many occasions. Professor Bai Qianshen also read the manuscript and offered important suggestions. Many of the ideas developed in this book first took shape in my gradu ate school days at Princeton in the seminars of my teacher Professor Wen C. Fong, to whom I am deeply grateful. Without the editorial advice of Jan Stuart and Susan Nelson, my two extra ordinary friends and mentors, I probably would have just given up. Professors Amy McNair and Eugene Wang read the entire manuscript and made it much better through their wise interventions. At the last minute, Professors Martin Kern and Michael Nylan reviewed a translation and corrected numerous errors. The many that no doubt remain are my own doing. Professors Stanley Abe, Xiaoshan Yang,
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