Emperor Xiaowen's Stele for the Construction of a Nine-Story Pagoda

Emperor Xiaowen's Stele for the Construction of a Nine-Story Pagoda

Emperor Xiaowen's Stele for the Construction of a Nine-Story Pagoda is a cultural relic protected at the provincial level in Henan.

The Northern Wei Dynasty’s “Emperor Xiaowen's Stele for the Construction of a Nine-Story Pagoda,” officially titled “Stele Commissioned by Bhikshu Fayaya and the Thousand People of Zongna Township for Emperor Xiaowen’s Nine-Story Pagoda,” was originally located in Ji County, Henan Province. It is among the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in Henan Province. The stele was discovered in 1918 by Gu Zhiguang, author of *New Records of Antiquities in the He-Bei Region*. The upper part of the text has been largely worn away, while about half of the lower part remains buried in soil, which has helped preserve it more clearly. The stele head is arched, beneath which is carved a niche. Below the niche is an inscription in intaglio seal script reading “Emperor Xiaowen’s Nine-Story One-Image Pagoda,” created on the seventh day of the first month of the first year of the Zhengshi era (January 7, 504) during the Northern Wei Dynasty.

The stele is divided into upper and lower sections, with the main text in regular script. Additionally, it includes the *Record of Yang Fagui Moving the Stele* from the fifth year of the Sui Kaihuang era. On the reverse side are inscriptions by members of the Yang family, notable for their refined and dense calligraphy. *New Records of Antiquities in the He-Bei Region* refers to it as “Bhikshu Fayazi and the Thousand People of Zongna Township’s Nine-Story Pagoda Stele,” Zhang Yansheng’s *Catalog of Rare Stone Rubbings* calls it “The Northern Wei Thousand-People Nine-Story Pagoda Stele,” and the *Ji County Cultural Relics Annals* refers to it as “Emperor Xiaowen's Stele for the Construction of a Nine-Story Pagoda.” During the Cultural Revolution, the stele was smashed and completely destroyed.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in Henan Province