Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Xiu, Prince Kang’an of Liang

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Xiu, Prince Kang’an of Liang

The stone carvings at the tomb of Xiao Xiu, Prince Kang’an of Liang, are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The tomb of Xiao Xiu, Prince Kang’an of Liang, is located within Ganjiaxiang Primary School in the northeastern suburbs of Nanjing.

Xiao Xiu, courtesy name Yanda, was the seventh son of Emperor Wen of Liang, Xiao Shunzhi. In the first year of the Tianjian era (502), he was promoted to the rank of General Who Pacifies the North and was enfeoffed as the Prince of An’gan. In February of the seventeenth year of Tianjian, he died while serving as Governor of Yongzhou at the age of 44.

The relics currently preserved in front of Xiao Xiu’s tomb include two stone stone beasts (pixie), one stone pillar, one stone pillar base, three stone stelae, and two stele bases.

The two stone beasts face each other from east to west, 18 meters apart. The eastern beast is 3.58 meters long, 1.55 meters wide, and 2.94 meters high; the western beast is 3.28 meters long, 1.55 meters wide, and 3 meters high. The eastern beast is intact, while the western beast has slight damage on its hindquarters and back. The western beast has a massive body, no horns, an open mouth with a drooping tongue, a thick short neck, wings carved with bird feather patterns, and coiled fur still faintly visible across its body. It stands proudly with its chest out, as if striding forward.

There are two upright stelae and one lying on the ground. The two standing stelae face each other from east to west. The central part of the eastern stele has a crack, and the body of the stele leans slightly backward. The stele itself is 4.15 meters tall, the base is 1.01 meters tall, making the total height 5.16 meters. It is 1.46 meters wide and 0.31 meters thick. The sides of the stele originally had relief carvings, which are now blurred. The western stele is 4.1 meters tall, with a base 1.02 meters high, making the total height 5.12 meters. It is 1.44 meters wide and 0.32 meters thick. The surface of the stele is severely eroded, and the inscriptions on the front are no longer legible, though some names of disciples and former officials can still be identified on the back. Historical records indicate that there were originally four stelae at the tomb, with texts written by famous literary figures of the Liang Dynasty—Wang Sengru, Lu Zhaolin, Liu Xiaochuo, and Pei Ziye—and calligraphy by Bei Yiyuan. By the Southern Song Dynasty, only two stelae remained. During the 1956 restoration of the stone carvings, another stele was excavated from the ground, broken into three pieces and missing a section. Its remaining height is 4.35 meters, width 1.54 meters, and thickness 0.32 meters. This stele had been damaged and buried upside down prior to the Southern Song period. The two standing stelae were corrected and fixed during the restoration. Additionally, there are two turtle-shaped stele bases (bixi), lying on the ground, which served as bases for the broken stele and another missing stele. The eastern bixi is 1.02 meters high, 1.43 meters wide, and 3.54 meters long; the western bixi is 1 meter high, 2.7 meters long, and 1.49 meters wide.

The western stone pillar is missing its capital, with the shaft being 3.86 meters tall and the base 0.76 meters tall, making the total height 4.62 meters. The base is split into two halves. The eastern stone pillar is missing, with only its base remaining, which is 0.66 meters tall, 1.45 meters long. The base is decorated with carvings all around.

The stone carvings at Xiao Xiu’s tomb are the most numerous and best-preserved in layout, representing the finest examples of Southern Dynasties tomb stone carvings.

From October 1974 to January 1975, the Nanjing Museum and the Nanjing Cultural Relics Preservation Committee excavated 38 tombs of various sizes in Ganjiaxiang. Among them, Tomb No. 6, located 1,000 meters from the stone carvings, is believed to be Xiao Xiu’s tomb based on research. This tomb is an oval single-chamber domed brick structure with stone doors and an arched lintel featuring relief carvings, as well as a long drainage channel in front. Due to severe damage, very few artifacts were unearthed, and although two stone epitaphs were found, they were too weathered and illegible. The stone stelae of Xiao Xiu’s tomb are recorded in the literary anthology Yiwen Leiju.

Further Reading:

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