Liu Gongquan's two short stories.

There was a great calligrapher named Liu Gongquan in the Tang Dynasty. His calligraphy is brilliant, especially regular script, which is known as "Yan Gu". One day, Tang Wenzong summoned Liu Gongquan, hoping that he could write a plaque for the newly-built Confucius Temple. Liu Gongquan gladly accepted this task, and he carefully created the word "Confucius Temple". When these two words were presented to the emperor, he was surprised and thought that they were well written, so he gave Liu Gongquan a silk book. However, Liu Gongquan said modestly, "Your Majesty, although these two words have been appreciated by you, I don't think they deserve a trace. Please give me some more paper and pens, and I will continue to work hard. " The emperor was very surprised after hearing this, but he still met his requirements. Liu Gongquan wrote a few more words. This time, the emperor thought he wrote better and gave him a silk. This was repeated several times, and finally Liu Gongquan got seven silks. This story tells us that Liu Gongquan's attitude towards calligraphy is very serious. What he pursues is to constantly improve his skills, not to covet money.

Story 2: Liu Gongquan's "Iron pestle grinds into a needle"

When Liu Gongquan was a child, his family was poor, but he was smart and studious. In order to enable him to read and write, his father scrimped and saved to buy a writing brush and some ink. However, when Liu Gongquan first started to learn calligraphy, he could never write well. One day, he saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle by the river. She told Liu Gongquan, "As long as you work hard, the iron pestle is ground into a needle." This sentence deeply touched Liu Gongquan, who understood that only by continuous efforts and persistence can he succeed. So, he practiced calligraphy at home every day, regardless of the wind and rain or the scorching sun, he insisted. After a long period of hard work, Liu Gongquan's calligraphy level has been greatly improved and he finally became a famous calligrapher. This story tells us that success comes from unremitting efforts and persistence. As long as we are as diligent as Liu Gongquan, we will surely realize our dreams.