Luo Rang Stele

Luo Rang Stele

The Luo Rang Stele is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

The Luo Rang Stele is located south of Kangdikou Village in Daming County. Erected in the first year of the Longji era (889 AD) during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the stele is made of bluestone, standing 4.20 meters tall, 1.43 meters wide, and 0.5 meters thick. The head and body are integrated, with the stele head carved with six dragons playing with a spider. The top of the stele is inscribed in seal script with the title “The Divine Path Stele of Luo Rang of Changsha Commandery, Late Censor-in-Chief of the Tang Dynasty, Posthumously Honored as Minister of Works.” The front side of the stele body mainly records the story of Luo Rang’s son, Luo Hongxin, succeeding Yue Yanzhen as the military governor of Weibo. It was composed by Gong Chengren, an imperial consultant and Left Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat, and inscribed and titled in seal script by Zheng Bao, a literary official and imperial edict editor. The turtle base is buried deep underground. It is now a key cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Luo Rang passed away in the third year of the Qianfu era (876 AD), and this stele was erected in the first year of the Longji era (889 AD), a gap of 13 years. Although it is named the Divine Path Stele of Luo Rang, the inscription actually describes the military achievements of his son, Luo Hongxin. Due to Luo Hongxin’s influence, Emperor Zhaozong posthumously honored his father, Luo Rang, as Censor-in-Chief and Minister of Works, and erected the “Luo Rang Divine Path Stele” in the first year of the Longji era (889 AD). This reflects the reality of regional warlordism in the late Tang Dynasty.

Luo Hongxin, from Guixiang (now Daming), served as a general under Wei’s military governor Yue Yanzhen. Renowned for his martial prowess and loyalty, he earned the deep support of the troops. During Yue Yanzhen’s mutiny and subsequent assassination, he quelled the military unrest in Weibo, stabilizing the region, and was appointed by the Tang emperor as “Military Governor, Observer, and Administrator of Weibo, Golden Purple Light and Honor Doctor, Imperial Edict Editor, Right Vice Director, Grand Commander of Weibo, and Censor-in-Chief.”

Further reading:

· Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province