Xiaotangshan Guo Family Tomb Stone Shrine

Xiaotangshan Guo Family Tomb Stone Shrine

The Xiaotangshan Guo Family Tomb Stone Shrine is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

A Han Dynasty tomb shrine in China. Located atop Xiaotang Mountain, south of Xiaolipu in Changqing County, Shandong Province, it is the oldest surviving stone-built and stone-carved house structure in China. The stone walls and beams inside the shrine are covered with exquisite line engravings, possessing high historical and artistic value. In 1961, it was designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. A protective surrounding chamber has since been built.

The Xiaotangshan Guo Family Tomb Stone Shrine is located on Xiaotang Mountain in Xiaolipu, Changqing County, Shandong Province. It was designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level by the State Council of the People's Republic of China in 1961.

Xiaotang Mountain is an earthen hill about 30 meters high, anciently known as Wushan. Since it preserves a stone shrine, it has been famous worldwide since the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Wushan was also renamed "Xiaotang Mountain" because of the stone shrine. The Xiaozitang (Filial Son’s Hall) is the tomb shrine of Guo Ju, a filial son from the early Eastern Han Dynasty (around the 1st century AD), and is the oldest surviving above-ground house structure in China.

The stone shrine is a single-eave, gable-and-hip roofed structure with two bays, facing south, measuring 4.14 meters in width, 2.5 meters in depth, and about 2.64 meters in height. The rear part is a low stone platform used for worship. The construction of the shrine consists of: two stones on the east wall and one on the west wall, both with sharp triangular tops; two horizontally arranged stones on the back wall. An octagonal stone pillar stands in the center of the front, with strip stone pillars on the front sides of the gables supporting the eaves beam stones. Between the central stone pillar and the back wall, a triangular partition beam stone is placed overhead, dividing the interior into two rooms. The roof is covered with two stone slabs on the front and rear slopes. The roof stone slabs are carved with tile ridges, drip tiles, and eaves shapes, while the ends are carved with hip-and-gable decorations. The original ridge stone is missing. Later, two smaller octagonal stone pillars were added on either side of the central octagonal pillar, inscribed with texts from the Tang and Song dynasties.

The three walls and partition beam stones inside the shrine are covered with carvings. The main images depict scenes related to the life and experiences of the shrine’s patron, such as processions of chariots and cavalry, kitchens, banquets, hunting, acrobatics, warfare, as well as historical and mythological stories. The “King’s Procession” spanning the upper parts of the three walls is the most grandiose and features the largest number of figures among Han Dynasty stone carvings, indicating that the shrine’s patron participated in the ceremonial procession of a feudal prince. The chariot procession under the northern wall pavilion has an inscription reading “2,000 bushels,” signifying the highest official rank attained by the patron in life. The eastern and western walls also depict mythological figures such as Fuxi, Nuwa, the Queen Mother of the West, the Wind God, the Thunder God, and the Man with a Pierced Chest, as well as historical stories like the Duke of Zhou Assisting King Cheng, Confucius Meeting Laozi, and the Han–Hu Wars. Both sides of the partition beam stone are carved with the stories of the Tripod Lifting and the Chariot Falling from the Bridge, while the bottom surface shows celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars. Next to the main figures in the shrine’s carvings, there are seven inscriptions: “King’s Carriage,” “Official,” “Minister,” “King Cheng,” “Hu King,” “Confucius,” and “2,000 Bushels.” The carving technique of the shrine’s reliefs mainly involves line engraving on polished stone surfaces, with some images also using relief carving. The lines are strong and concise, and the figures are simple yet vivid. Though there are no obvious gridlines in the composition, the layers are distinct, making it a masterpiece among Han Dynasty stone reliefs. The inner and outer walls of the shrine also bear a large number of inscriptions and ink writings left by later generations, which hold significant historical value. The earliest inscriptions date back to the 4th year of the Yongjian era (129 AD) during the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the 1st year of the Yongkang era (167 AD) during the reign of Emperor Huan.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level