Xiangfu Stele

Xiangfu Stele

The Great Song Dynasty Stele of the Heavenly Emperor of Mount Tai, Dongyue, Tiren Shengdi

Erected in the sixth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era (1013 AD) by Emperor Zhenzong of Song, commonly known as the "Xiangfu Stele." The stele stands 8.2 meters tall and is 2.3 meters wide, with 2,319 characters inscribed on the front side, each character measuring 5 centimeters in size. It was composed by the Hanlin Academician Chao Jiong, with the stele’s title inscribed and the text written in seal script by the Hanlin Attendant Calligrapher and Court Gentleman Yin Xigu. The inscription first leverages the divine prestige of Mount Tai to lavish praise upon the Northern Song Dynasty, recounting how Emperor Zhenzong performed the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai in the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu and continuously elevated the status of the Mountain God over the next four years. It promotes the significant changes that occurred after Emperor Zhenzong, also known as Zhao Heng, performed the Fengshan ritual and acknowledged the "Heavenly Scriptures," attributing the temporary stability following the Treaty of Chanyuan — which saw victory yet involved reparations — to the merits of the Fengshan ceremony. It also sings the praises of Mount Tai: “Lofty stands Mount Tai, stretching across the great east, a concentration of divine energy, foremost among the Five Sacred Mountains…” The reverse side of the stele bears the four large characters “Foremost Among the Five Sacred Mountains,” inscribed in the 24th year of the Wanli era (1596 AD) by Governor Zhang Yunji and Censor Wang Lixian.