Zhuangyuan Stele Garden

Zhuangyuan Stele Garden

The Zhuangyuan Stele Garden is a cultural tourism attraction.

Zhuangyuan Stele Garden

Zhuangyuan Stele Garden

The stele garden derives its name from preserving a stone inscription authored and calligraphed by Li Pan, the top imperial scholar of Xuzhou during the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi reign. Outside the garden, ...

The main gate of the garden is a typical Qing-style hanging-flower gatehouse. With green tiles topping its ridges and carved beams hung in elegance, it exudes an antique charm while giving off a homely warmth. Its double red-painted doors are flanked by a red-painted couplet reading: “Classics pass down virtue; fame rivals that of the exiled immortal.” This couplet references Laozi and Li Bai to glorify the Li family lineage. Written in clerical script, it is the work of Mr. Li Hongmin. The three-tiered stone steps before the gate, as explained by builder Mr. Sun Tongyi, are said to symbolize “ascending three ranks in a row.”

Upon entering and looking back up, one sees a red-background, gold-character plaque hanging inside the gatehouse, inscribed with four characters — “Flowing Source, Enduring Stream” — the calligraphy of Mr. Meng Zhaojun.

Standing on the bluestone steps beneath the gatehouse and looking north, all the features within the stele garden — the stele pavilion, stone pillars, corridors, green trees, and bright flowers — are visible in a single glance. The stele pavilion is located slightly north of the central north–south axis of the garden. A three-tiered stone platform lifts the four-corner, six-pillar pavilion high into the air, giving it the appearance of being ready to take flight. The pavilion is built entirely with mortise-and-tenon wooden structures; above, it has blue-glazed roof tiles and upturned eaves; below, its beams and columns intertwine in exquisitely carved and painted detail. Facing the entrance, a horizontal red-background plaque is hung, inscribed with the words “Zhuangyuan Stele Pavilion,” calligraphy by Mr. Sun Fang, a renowned calligrapher from Xuzhou and founder of China Calligraphy News. On the two southern-facing pillars of the pavilion hangs a red-background, gold-character couplet: “A continuous lineage, virtuous and scholarly; among literary figures, none surpass those of Luanshan.” The couplet was composed by Mr. Li Congyun and calligraphed by Mr. Sun Hongxiao, an elderly calligrapher from Tongshan.

Inside the pavilion stands the “Zhuangyuan Stele.” Officially named the “Stele of the Tomb Epitaph of the Seventh Ancestor,” it was erected in the 54th year of the Kangxi reign (1715 AD) by members of the Li clan and calligraphed by the top imperial scholar Li Pan. It is a memorial stele for the Seventh Ancestor, the founding patriarch of the Pengcheng Li clan. The stele stands three meters tall, topped with a coiling-dragon cap and resting on a table-like base, its entire surface carved with dragons, phoenixes, flowers, and plants. Despite three hundred years of wind and rain, the inscriptions and carvings remain clear, retaining an ancient, rustic beauty. The 426-character inscription chronicles over ten generations of the Pengcheng Li clan’s establishment, development, growth, and their reputation within the region. It is not only a rare piece of family history but also a treasured piece of calligraphic stone carving: beautiful text, elegant characters, and genuine historical content — a historical relic where “three perfections” are unified. Touching the stone and looking up at it stirs historical memories in both Li and non-Li descendants.

In front of the pavilion, there is one ornamental column on each side. On the front and sides of each column are inscribed couplets: “To the north lies Huaying Mountain, to the south flows the river; mountains and rivers form a fine burial ground where white clouds circle the bubbling waters. A family line of scholars continues along the Huai, their descendants radiant as purple energy fills Hangu Pass”; “Generations thrive, auspicious signs abound as the ox resting place flourishes, towering pines dense — soon we’ll see the crane return.” These couplets were composed by Li Hongchou, who once served as magistrate of Putian, Xianyou, and Dehua in Fujian, and calligraphed by Li Houji, former military governor and provincial governor of Fujian. The ornamental columns frame the stele pavilion just as green leaves set off red flowers.

At the back of the garden, to the east, west, and north, is a semi-circular stele corridor. With red pillars, green tiles, white walls, and black stones, it displays both Li Pan’s “Letter Home to Mother” and his poetic calligraphy, as well as inscribed stelae passed down through the Pengcheng Li clan.

On the western side of the stele garden, there is also a reception room that houses charts of official positions held by Li clan members throughout history, biographical summaries of figures like Li Pan, the top scholar examination paper, and lists of individuals recorded in the “Xuzhou Prefecture Annals.”

The “Zhuangyuan Stele” once endured hardship. In the 1950s, it was toppled and broken into two pieces, then buried underground. It was not until three years ago that clan members pooled funds and efforts to unearth it from beneath the yellow soil of a house foundation. Last year, initiated by Mr. Lenong and supported by generous donations from Li clan descendants at home and abroad, the Zhuangyuan Stele Garden was constructed in the scholar’s hometown within half a year. Should the Seventh Ancestor know, he could rest in peace; should Li Pan know, he would have no regrets. The revival of this cultural relic illuminates the region, its significance extending beyond family and clan. Thus, upon learning of the completion of the Zhuangyuan Stele Garden, the People’s Government of Feng County approved it as a historical and cultural relic protection unit.

It is reported that the Zhuangyuan Stele Garden was designed by Mr. Zhai Xianzhong, a nationally certified first-class architect, and constructed by Mr. Sun Tongyi, a master of ancient architecture from Xuzhou. Using old materials with refined craftsmanship, polished and meticulous, the project achieved a seamless and magnificent artistic effect. Cultural relics are as precious as gold, and ancient architecture shines brilliantly — an experience no one can truly appreciate without seeing it in person.