Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Jing, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Jing, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang

The Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Jing, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang are Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Jing, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang

Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, Batch 1 & 2, Adjusted and Announced in March 1982. The stone carvings at the tomb of Xiao Jing, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang, date back to the Southern Dynasties (523 AD), located in Taiping Village, Yaohuamen, Nanjing. In 1988, they were announced as part of the “Stone Carvings at the Southern Dynasties Tombs in Nanjing,” designated as part of the third batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Located in Shiyue Village, Shiyue Township, in the northeastern suburbs (formerly Taiping Village). Xiao Jing, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang (477–523), courtesy name Zizhao, was the paternal cousin of Emperor Wen of Liang, Xiao Shunzhi. In the first year of the Tianjian era (502), he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Wu Ping County. In the seventeenth year (518), he served as General Who Pacifies the Right and supervised Yangzhou. In the nineteenth year, he became General Who Pacifies the West and Prefect of Yingzhou. He passed away in office in the fourth year of the Putong era (523). Posthumously, he was honored with the titles of Palace Attendant, General Who Comforts the Central Regions, and Grand Master of Ceremonies with Equal Ritual to the Three Excellencies, and was given the posthumous name “Zhong” (Loyal). Xiao Jing’s tomb faces south. In front of the tomb, there currently remains one stone xiezhi and one stone column. There were originally two xiezhi; the western one is only partially preserved, having been buried under the soil by the roadside near a pond (the pond has since been filled in). It was unearthed in 1956 but had already weathered beyond repair and was reburied at the original site. The existing eastern xiezhi is 3.80 meters long, 1.55 meters wide, and 3.80 meters high. It is a male beast, slightly turning its head to the south and standing facing west. It has no horns, with bristling mane, a long tongue hanging to the chest with the tip curled upward, whiskers hanging down, and an indented path on its head extending to its back. The chest is adorned with curling long hair, while the wings are carved with cloud-hook patterns complemented by bird-wing motifs, curving around to the forelimbs. The tail reaches the ground, and the feet have five claws. The figure is massive and stocky, with well-proportioned parts, holding its head high and chest out, with wings spread in vigor, and exquisitely carved, making it an outstanding piece among xiezhi of the same period. The lower half of this xiezhi was originally buried in the soil, with a 3 cm crack at the waist. The left half of the body from the waist to the hindquarters is missing, there is a crack under the left eye, the left front leg is broken and separated from the base. In 1956, the Municipal Cultural Relics Preservation Committee elevated and restored it. The existing spirit way stone column is the most intact among Southern Dynasties stone columns. The column stands 4.20 meters tall, with the small xiezhi on the cover being 0.81 meters high and 0.84 meters long, and the base being 0.51 meters high. The column sits on a double-chi base, with the surface carved with monster designs and a chamfered rectangular cross-section. The lower section of the column is carved with 24 rows of tile-ridge patterns, while the upper section features melon-ridge patterns. The column capital is rectangular, inscribed in reverse with: “Spirit Way of the Late Liang Palace Attendant, General Who Comforts the Central Regions, Grand Master of Ceremonies with Equal Ritual to the Three Excellencies, Marquis Wu Pingzhong of Liang, Xiao Gong,” in regular script. On the right side of the column capital is a bas-relief of a monk holding flowers, beneath which are rope-pattern and intertwined dragon motifs coiling around the column. The top is crowned with a lotus-shaped cover, upon which a small xiezhi crouches. The entire piece is exquisitely carved and representative, serving as an important cultural relic for the study of Southern Dynasties stone carving art. 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