The Guo Lin Stone Carvings (Tomb of Guo Chaobin)

The Guo Lin Stone Carvings (Tomb of Guo Chaobin)

The Guo Lin Stone Carvings (Tomb of Guo Chaobin) is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Guo Lin Stone Carvings refer to the tomb of Guo Chaobin, who served as the Minister of Works during the Ming Dynasty. It is located on the rolling hills north of Baili Guolin Village, approximately 21 kilometers east of Wenshang County.

According to the Ming-era *Wenshang County Annals*: “Guo Chaobin, styled Shangfu, passed the imperial examination in the 14th year of the Jiajing reign (1535) and was appointed as an official in the Ministry of Revenue. He was later promoted to Langzhong (a senior administrative post), overseeing military provisions in Datong. He also served as an imperial censor in Shaanxi and Henan, and as provincial governor of Zhejiang. He was later recalled to the capital as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, overseeing granary operations, and was eventually promoted to Minister of Works... He died at the age of 72...”

In front of the tomb lies a three-room memorial hall, along with stone tablets, a stele pavilion, a stone altar, an incense burner, and an extensive array of stone carvings. The entire burial site is majestic and imposing in appearance. Currently, seventeen stone carvings, primarily a stone memorial archway, have been restored and stand in front of the tomb. The archway is a three-bay carved structure, supported by four stone pillars, each topped with a uniquely expressive stone lion. At the center of the archway are the two characters “敕建” (Imperially Commissioned), written in running script, surrounded by carvings of phoenixes and human figures. Below the “敕建” characters is a line of smaller text that reads: “The Tomb of Guo, the Minister of Works and Grand Master of Provisional Governance.” Additionally, there are inscriptions at the top and bottom— the upper inscription reads “Commissioned by the Imperial Envoy She Huaxian from the Ministry of Rites, Xucun,” while the lower one states “Erected on a propitious day in the 14th year of the Wanli reign (1586).” The entire archway features carvings of lions playing with balls, peonies, flowers and birds, human figures, and auspicious clouds, with a central motif of two dragons playing with a pearl. The archway is grand and beautifully designed. On either side of the archway stand stone gate towers, each octagonal in shape with a taotie beast crouching atop a round drum, facing upward. Beneath the drum is a cloud-patterned board resembling floating clouds, set on an octagonal base. The total height of each tower is about 6 meters, and the front of each bears an inscribed couplet. The upper line reads: “Waters wind and mountains encircle, gathering the essence of a spiritually rich land, thriving for a thousand years without end.” The lower line states: “Dragons coil and tigers crouch, convergence of a region of outstanding geographical fortune, ensuring peace for ten thousand generations.” The calligraphy is in running script, bold and powerful. Behind the archway are arranged pairs of stone figures, stone sheep, stone horses, stone lions, and other stone beasts along both sides. There are four stone human figures—two civil officials and two military officers. The civil officials stand 2.65 meters tall and 0.8 meters wide, dressed in neat official attire with flowing robes touching the ground. The military officers are 2.6 meters tall and 0.5 meters wide, clad in armor, holding whips and swords, looking majestic. There is also a pair of stone beasts with bared teeth and fierce expressions, likely stone tigers.

The stone carvings in front of Guo Chaobin’s tomb are of clear origin, hold high artistic value, and are comparable in scale to those of the Ming Tombs. In 1986, they were designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Jining City. In 2013, the tomb of Guo Chaobin was announced by the Shandong Provincial People’s Government as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units in Shandong Province.

Guo Lin Village: Guo Lin Village... More information about Guo Lin Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Shandong Province

· Second Batch of Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jining City