During the show, National Treasure, Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai played Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) statesman Sima Guang, who preserved a stone drum incised with hundreds of characters in seal script dating back to the Qin state during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

First discovered in Tianxing in Northwest China's Shaanxi province in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907), the stone drums were highly extolled by many Tang scholars, like Wei Yingwu and Han Yu. Both composed shi gu ge (Tribute to the Stone Drums) to eulogize the outstanding calligraphy on the stone drums. The inscriptions, known as the earliest set of Chinese characters carved on stone, are simple yet forceful, describing activities such as fishing, hunting and warfare. They also provided inspiration for many calligraphers who specialized in seal script.