Stone Carvings of the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection

Stone Carvings of the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection

The stone carvings of the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection are a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The stone carvings of the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection are located in the Yu Family Ancestral Hall on West Street, Bieqiao Town, Liyang City, Jiangsu Province.

Bieqiao, also known as Piqiao, lies to the north of Liyang, adjacent to Zhiquan Township of Jintan, about ten li northeast of Changdang Lake. It was once a bustling water-and-land trade hub. Notably, on the walls of the original Yu Family Ancestral Hall in the town, a set of late Ming Dynasty stone carvings imitating the “Sufu Edition” of the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection has been preserved. These carvings are replicas of precious calligraphic masterpieces from various dynasties.

“Chunhua” was one of the reign titles of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Guangyi. The Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection was compiled in the third year of the Chunhua era (992 AD) under the order of Emperor Taizong. He tasked the imperial calligraphy scholar Wang Zhu with selecting and organizing famous calligraphic works from the imperial archives (a tower where the emperor stored books), designating them as “model calligraphy,” and having them engraved on datewood boards and stone slabs. Rubbing copies were then distributed to his ministers. The collection is divided into ten volumes: the first volume is the “Calligraphy of Historical Emperors”; volumes two, three, and four are the “Calligraphy of Famous Officials Through the Ages”; volume five is the “Ancient Calligraphy of Various Schools”; volumes six, seven, and eight are the “Calligraphy of Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty”; and volumes nine and ten are the “Calligraphy of Wang Xianzhi.” For a long time, ancient calligraphic works were preserved and passed down thanks to this collection. However, because Wang Zhu’s level of expertise in authentication was average, his selections were not always refined, resulting in some forgeries being included or misattributions of authorship. In the 43rd year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1615 AD), Prince Su Xian ordered Wen Ruyu and Zhang Yingzhao to re-evaluate and re-engrave the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection in his possession. This version became known as the “Sufu Edition.” Since then, this “Pavilion Calligraphy Collection” has been referred to as the “ancestor of model calligraphy.”

The stone carvings in Bieqiao were damaged in the 10th year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty (1860 AD). After restoration, 47 intact pieces and 71 fragmented ones remained. Decades later, the Yu family funded further repairs. Eventually, there were 42 intact pieces, 73 fragmented ones, plus 3 stones inscribed with “Postscript to the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection” and “Treasured Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Collection,” totaling 118 stones. These were arranged in six tiers from top to bottom and embedded in cement on the southeast and west walls of the ancestral hall’s corridor. Each stone slab is 0.32 meters high, with widths varying between 0.63, 0.80, and 1 meter. The backs of the carvings still retain five original inscriptions, including “Commissioned to engrave on stone by imperial order on November 4, the 3rd year of Chunhua” and “Re-engraved on stone by order of Prince Su on August 9, the 43rd year of Wanli (1615 AD), by your humble servant Wen Ruyu and Zhang Yingzhao.”

In 1982, chemical reinforcement was applied to these stone carvings, and they were designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu in the same year. Aside from the stone carvings preserved at the Xi’an Stele Forest Museum, these are the only remaining Chunhua Pavilion stone carvings in Jiangsu.

Bieqiao Town: A renowned town in southern Jiangsu and the northern gateway to Liyang—Bieqiao Town is situated by Changdang Lake, approximately 100 kilometers from Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, and about 40 kilometers from Changzhou. It takes just 10 minutes to reach the Ninghang Expressway interchange and only 5 minutes to the soon-to-be-completed Yangli Expressway interchange. Covering a total area of 49.5 square kilometers, the town governs 16 administrative villages and 1 neighborhood committee, with a total population of 30,800. The area features flat terrain. Bieqiao Town has a long history and is the hometown of Ma Yilong, a famous Hanlin academician of the Ming Dynasty, and Ma Shijun, the first top imperial scholar after the founding of the Qing Dynasty. It is also home to the widely renowned... More details about Bieqiao Town++

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units