Nanjing Ming Zhengjun Stele

Nanjing Ming Zhengjun Stele

The Nanjing Ming Zhengjun Stele is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Nanjing Ming Zhengjun Stele is the best-preserved and largest Tang Dynasty stele in the Nanjing area, and as a fossil specimen, it is also extremely rare nationwide. It is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province. Located on the right side of the mountain gate of Qixia Temple, this stele was erected in the third year of the Shangyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (676 AD) in honor of Ming Zhengjun. During the Tang Dynasty, Ming Zengshao was summoned several times by the emperor to serve as a clerk in the Secretariat and as a Doctor of the Imperial College, but he “claimed illness and declined,” choosing to live in seclusion in the deep mountains. Hence, he was called “Zhengjun” (Hermit Gentleman), also known as “Yinjun” (Recluse Gentleman).

It is said that the erection of this stele was secured by Ming Zengshao’s fifth-generation descendant, Ming Chongyan, who petitioned Emperor Gaozong of Tang. Ming Sengshao, styled Chenglie, was from Shandong. During the Liu Song Dynasty, he held positions such as Zhengzhi Lang, Clerk, and Regular Outer Clerk, and was widely referred to as "Zhengjun." During the Southern Qi Dynasty, he lived in seclusion and later donated his residence to establish a temple, which became known as Qixia Temple.

The stele was erected in the third year of the Shangyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (676) and is fully titled "The Stele of Ming Zhengjun of Qixia Qixia Temple." The text was composed by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, calligraphed by the renowned Tang Dynasty calligrapher Gao Zhengchen, and the title was inscribed in seal script by Wang Zhijing. On the back of the stele are two characters, "Qixia," personally written by Emperor Gaozong, displaying vigorous brushstrokes and lively spirit. The main body of the stele text is written in four-six rhymed prose, concluded with ten inscriptive verses.

The stele stands 2.74 meters tall, 1.31 meters wide, and 0.26 meters thick. Confirmed by geological experts, the stone material was sourced from Qixia Mountain and is a limestone from the Qixia Formation, which also contains animal fossils. The plum blossom-like patterns on the surface of the stele are fossils of crinoid stems and Chinese pore corals that lived in shallow seas 280 million years ago, numbering over 22,000.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batches of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province