Lake and Mountain Song Stele

Lake and Mountain Song Stele

The Lake and Mountain Song Stele is a cultural relic protection unit of Wuxi City.

The Lake and Mountain Song Stele is located in "Baodian Mountain Retreat" at the southern foot of Baodian Mountain within Yuantouzhu Park in Wuxi. This site was once the hermitage of Wang Wen, a renowned Ming Dynasty painter and calligrapher from the area, also known as Lake and Mountain Cottage.

Wang Wen (1497–1576), styled Ziyu and also known as Zhongshan, passed the imperial examination in the 17th year of the Jiajing reign, served as an official up to the position of Inspector of Guangdong, but later resigned and returned home to build a residence on the lake to care for his elderly father, and never held office again. His son, Ruoming, also became a successful scholar and chose to return and live in seclusion in the mountains. Father and son found joy in poetry and painting, and Gui Youguang wrote “The Record of Baodian Mountain Retreat” about them. In 1548 (the 26th year of the Jiajing reign), Wang Wen composed the "Lake and Mountain Song", and in 1567 (the first year of the Longqing reign), he handwrote it in running-cursive script, which was then engraved on a stone stele. The stele stands 186 cm tall and 86 cm wide. The lyrics are profound, the rhythm enduring, the brushwork powerful, and the carving exquisite. The remnants of Baodian Mountain Retreat still exist today,

but the Lake and Mountain Song Stele was once buried in overgrown weeds. In 1980, the city’s garden authorities moved the stele to its current location at the “Rest Pavilion” in Yuantouzhu and embedded it in the wall.

In July 1986, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit by the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government.