The inscription on this stele is the Classic of Filial Piety, a record of Confucius’ teachings on filial duty and fraternal respect as transmitted by his disciple Zeng Shen. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, personally wrote the preface and annotations, and transcribed the text in clerical script. It was carved in the fourth year of the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong, 745 CE. The text reflects the Tang dynasty ideal of “governing the realm through filial piety.” Few examples of Emperor Xuanzong’s handwriting survive. Besides its large scale and distinctive form, this stele is also influential in the history of Chinese calligraphy and is now one of the famous steles in the Xi’an Forest of Steles.