Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian

The Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian, are Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian

Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, First and Second Batches, Announced After Adjustment in March 1982. The stone carvings at the Tomb of Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian, date back to the Southern Dynasties (559 AD), located in Shimachong, Shangfang Town, Jiangning District, Nanjing. In 1988, they were included as part of the "Stone Carvings of Southern Dynasties Tombs in Nanjing" and announced as part of the Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Located northwest of Shangfang Town, Jiangning County, in Shimachong. Chen Baxian (503–559), courtesy name Xingguo, was a native of Changcheng in Wuxing (present-day Changxing, Zhejiang). He initially served in the Liang Dynasty, rising to the position of Governor of Jiaozhou. Later, he assisted Wang Sengbian in suppressing Hou Jing, was transferred to garrison Jingkou (present-day Zhenjiang), and after Wang Sengbian deposed and enthroned emperors, Chen Baxian killed him, reinstated Emperor Jing of Liang, Xiao Fangzhi, acted as chancellor, was enfeoffed as Prince of Chen, and soon deposed the Liang and declared himself emperor, establishing the Chen Dynasty. He reigned for three years, and passed away in June 559 during the third year of the Yongding era, being buried in August in the Wan’an Mausoleum, posthumously honored as “Emperor Wu.” Empress Zhang was also buried in this tomb. The mausoleum faces southwest. According to the "Book of Northern History · Biographies of Filial Piety," after the fall of Chen, Wang Bian, son of Wang Sengbian, gathered his father’s former subordinates, dug up Emperor Wu’s tomb at night, opened the coffin, and burned the corpse to avenge his father, resulting in the early destruction of the mausoleum. Currently, only two right-side stone beasts remain in front of the tomb. The two beasts have unique designs and are both male. The northern stone beast resembles a Tianlu, measuring 2.50 meters in length and 2.57 meters in height, and is relatively intact. The southern stone beast resembles a Qilin, measuring 2.72 meters in length and 2.28 meters in height, with its neck broken and chest heavily damaged, suffering severe fragmentation, caused by target shooting from Japanese troops during their invasion of China. Neither stone beast has horns, but both have manes and wings, resembling Pixie beasts. Their beards brush their chests, tongues do not hang down, and they are larger in size, with simple designs and clean lines. They were renovated, elevated, and reinforced in 1964. According to the "Jiankang Annals," the Wan’an Mausoleum originally had ornamental pillars, which have long been lost. It was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1988.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batches of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units