Xin'an Stele Garden

Xin'an Stele Garden

Xin'an Stele Garden is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Ānhuī Province.

Xin'an Stele Garden is situated on the opposite bank of the Liánjiāng River to the west of Shèxī County, Ānhuī Province. Its main structures consist of three parts. The first is a stele corridor stretching over 200 meters, winding and twisting to give visitors a sense of seclusion. The inner walls of the corridor feature niches, covered with protective casings, used to display stone steles. As the corridor extends, it is accompanied by ancient column railings and viewing pillars, with exquisitely carved fences and pillars all created by renowned artisans from the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era, making them rare and exceptional artworks. The second part is the "Piyun Cottage," a single-story building with three bays designed in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The house has a front courtyard and a rear yard, and its interior doors, windows, and brick carvings reflect the unique architectural style of Huīzhōu ancient buildings. The third is the "Liǎngqīng Hall," named after the two famous sets of stele rubbings housed here — the *Yúqīngzhāi Tí* and the *Qǐngjiàn Táng Tí*. In addition, the garden is adorned with rockeries, ponds, pavilions, and small bridges, complemented by latticed walls, pierced windows, and gateways that create an open and harmonious layout, making it one of the major attractions in Shèxī County.

Xin'an Stele Garden houses and displays over 200 stone steles and inscribed rubbings of famous calligraphic works from various dynasties. Among them, the *Yúqīngzhāi Tí* and *Qīngjiàn Táng Tí*, two sets of model calligraphy albums, compile masterpieces from the Jin to the Ming dynasties and have long been highly regarded in the calligraphy world. The *Yúqīngzhāi Tí* was engraved in the mid-Ming Wanli period and compiles works originally from the collection of Wú Guótíng (also known as Wú Tíng), a native of Nánfēng, Shèxī, who was an avid collector of calligraphy and stone rubbings from the Jin and Tang dynasties. He owned a rich collection of masterpieces and was a well-known collector of his time. The *Shèxī County Annals* recorded: “Among the finest paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection, half were once part of (Wú) Tíng’s collection, identifiable by his seal.” Wú also invited the eminent calligraphers Dǒng Qíchāng and Chén Jìrú of the time to appraise and evaluate his collection, and engaged the famed Shèxī artist Yáng Míngshí (courtesy name Bùqì) to transfer the works onto stone using the double-tracing method. This resulted in an album comprising six volumes of main pieces, engraved in August of the 24th year of Wanli (1596), and two additional volumes as a sequel, engraved in June of the 42nd year of Wanli (1614). The album includes treasured works such as Wang Youjun’s (Wang Xizhi’s) “Seventeen Letters” from the Eastern Jin Dynasty — verified and traced versions with a preface by the early Ming literary master Sòng Lián. Wú Guótíng proudly claimed, “This should be the finest version of the Seventeen Letters in the world. It entered the imperial collection, and thus I had it traced and engraved on stone.” Yáng Míngshí also gained widespread fame for his work on the *Yúqīngzhāi Tí*, becoming “renowned across the land at the time.” The *Qīngjiàn Táng Tí* was produced slightly later than the *Yúqīngzhāi Tí*, compiled and engraved by another noted collector of the Ming Dynasty, Wú Zhēn (also known as Zhōushēng), a native of Shēnxū, Shèxī. He was a close friend of Dǒng Qíchāng and Chén Jìrú, and his collection was also appraised and annotated by them. This album was engraved in the 7th year of the Chóngzhēn era (1634). The *Shèxī County Annals* praised it: “Its catalog is more extensive than that of the *Yúqīng (Zhāi Tí)*, and the tracing is also finer.” It includes 31 works by 24 renowned artists from the Jin to the Ming dynasties, featuring Wang Xizhi’s “Clarifying Hall Master Scroll” in two volumes, Tang Dynasty works by Yú Shìnán, Chǔ Suìliáng, Ōuyáng Xún, and Huáisù, Song Dynasty works by Huáng Tíngjiāng and Mǐ Fú, Yuan Dynasty works by Zhào Mèngfǔ, all of which have been highly valued in the calligraphy community through the ages.

Xin'an Stele Garden, despite its limited space, features a well-planned and ingeniously designed layout. The beautiful natural scenery, unique garden design, and precious stele art blend harmoniously, making it a favorite among both domestic and international tourists, especially admired by calligraphy enthusiasts.

The Taibai Tower is located by the Liánjiāng River to the west of Shèxī County, at the western end of the Tàipíng Bridge, backed by mountain ridges and nestled next to Xin'an Stele Garden.

Legend has it that this site was originally a tavern where the Tang Dynasty’s poetic immortal, Lǐ Bái...

...once drank when he failed to meet the recluse Xu Xuántíng during his visit to Shèxī. Later generations renamed the tavern “Taibai Tower” in his honor. The Northern Song Dynasty’s *Tàipíng Guǎngjì* records the following story:

While in Luòyáng, Lǐ Bái once read a poem written by Xu Xuántíng, a native of Shèxī, on the wall of a lodging house: “Thirty years in seclusion, I built my hut atop the southern mountain. On quiet nights I play with the bright moon; on idle mornings I drink from the green spring. Woodcutters sing in the fields; valley birds play before the rocks. Happy am I, unaware of aging, having forgotten even the years.” Upon reading this, Lǐ Bái clapped his hands and exclaimed, “This is the poetry of an immortal!” He then traveled to Shèxī to find Xu Xuántíng but, after many twists and turns, missed meeting him. Though deeply disappointed, upon reaching the foot of Xīgān Mountain, he was enchanted by the clear mountains and beautiful waters, and could not help but compose a poem on the spot: “Tiantái’s Guóqīng Temple is hailed as one of the four marvels. I came to Tang for pleasure, finding no difference here. (Tree branches) sever the clouds; peaks brush the snowy summits. Beyond the railing flows a stream, its ripples shattering the moonlight again and again.” To commemorate Lǐ Bái, the locals named a shallow sandbar in the Liánshuǐ River beneath the Tàipíng Bridge...

...“Suìyuè Tān” (Shattered Moon Shoal). When the moon is full and high, the river glows like silver, the pagoda and bridge cast shadows, the breeze is gentle, the water whispers, and moonlight is stirred into fragments by the ripples — it is a vision of utmost beauty.

The tower was first built in the late Sui and early Tang periods, with the current structure reconstructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Taibai Tower is a two-story, two-courtyard building covering an area of over 200 square meters. The front section has a convex layout, with a central projection and recessed wings, a slightly lower roof ridge, and horse-head walls at both ends. It features a hip-and-gable roof, with high eaves, multiple layers, upturned corners, and dragon tail ornaments. A plaque inscribed with the characters “Taibai Tower” hangs under the eaves. The front ground floor has three bays facing the street; the original main gate faced east toward the Tàipíng Bridge but was sealed during renovations. The ancient riverside path now passes through the side doors on the left and right. Several stele inscriptions recording the tower’s restorations throughout history are embedded in the inner walls. Above the screen wall is a plaque inscribed with “Chángtiān Yī Sháo” (A Spoonful of the Vast Sky), symbolizing that although the universe is boundless and a spoonful of water tiny, the principles governing their movement and transformation are the same. It also suggests that Lǐ Bái’s unrecognized talent was like a solitary spoonful in the vast heavens. The hall displays a large portrait of Lǐ Bái, painted by Wāng Guānqīng, a renowned Shèxī painter residing in Shànghǎi. The couplet on the pillars reads: “Cloud-shrouded mountains before the walls open the eyes of the drunken; the tower’s wind and moon converse with the poetry immortal.” The rear building has five bays, with the central three forming the main hall and one wing room on each side. Staircases are located along the corridors on both sides of the courtyard. The roof of the rear building is also highest in the center, slightly lower on the sides, with a staggered roof ridge. Taibai Tower now serves as a memorial hall for Lǐ Bái, displaying thousands of cultural relics related to his life, including books, ancient calligraphy and paintings, inkstones, ink sticks, almanacs, and screen panels.

The moonlight shimmers on the rippling water, shattered into fragments — an ultimate beauty.

This building was originally constructed in the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, with the current structure rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Taibai Tower is a two-story, two-courtyard building covering an area of over 200 square meters. The front section has a convex floor plan, with a central projection flanked by recessed wings, a slightly lower ridge line, and horse-head walls at both ends. It features a hip-and-gable roof with double eaves, upturned corners, and soaring ridge ornaments resembling a mythical turtle’s tail. Under the eaves hangs a plaque inscribed with the three characters “Taibai Tower” (太白楼). The first floor has three bays facing the front; the original main gate faced east toward Taiping Bridge but was later sealed during renovations, so the ancient riverside path now passes through the left and right side doors. Several stone tablets recording the tower’s restorations throughout history are embedded in the inner walls. Above the screen wall is a plaque inscribed with “A Spoonful in the Vast Sky” (“长天一勺”), symbolizing that although heaven and earth are boundless and even a small spoonful of water is tiny, the principles of movement and change are the same. It also alludes to Li Bai’s unrecognized talent, like a solitary spoonful in the vast cosmos. The hall displays a large portrait of Li Bai, painted by the renowned artist Wang Guanqing from She County, who resided in Shanghai. On either side hang couplets: “The surrounding clouds and mountains open the eyes of the drunken; the tower’s winds and moonlight speak of the poetic immortal.” The rear tower has five bays, with the central three forming the main hall and one wing room on each side. Staircases are located along the corridors on both sides of the courtyard. The roof of the rear tower is also highest in the center, slightly lower on the sides, with an irregular ridge line. Taibai Tower is now a memorial hall dedicated to Li Bai, displaying thousands of cultural relics related to his life, including books, ancient calligraphy and paintings, inkstones, ink sticks, ancient almanacs, and antique screens.