The most beautiful ancient calligraphy. This stele was set up on Mount Youyi by the First Emperor on his inspection tour of the empire in 219 BC. The original is lost, but this copy was made by a celebrated Song dynasty calligrapher in 993 AD. This close-up clearly shows the unusual and elegant forms of the characters. It may be seen in the Beilin Museum in Xi'an.
©Edward Burman