Stele of Yin Zhou

Stele of Yin Zhou

The Stele of Yin Zhou is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

"Inscription for Master Yin Zhou, Former Officer of Yuzhou in the Han Dynasty," abbreviated as the "Stele of Yin Zhou," is written in clerical script and was carved in the sixth year of the Xiping era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (177 AD). On the 24th day of the first lunar month in the third year of the Huangqing era of Emperor Yuanshun (1314 AD), the Darughachi Abachi of Yanling County under the Bianliang Route, in compliance with an imperial edict, posthumously honored Confucius as the "Great Achieved and Supreme Sage, Literary and Cultural King." In conjunction with venerable Confucian scholars, a stele was erected in the Pan Palace to commemorate the sage’s virtues. Official Aba searched for suitable stone materials and found this stele in Weichuan. The inscription on the stele reads: "This is the stele of Master Yin Zhou of the sixth year of the Xiping era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, former officer of Yuzhou." Aba donated his own salary to purchase the stone, had it transported to Yanling, and placed it in the Confucian temple of Yanling. Over time, its whereabouts became unknown. During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, due to flooding of the Wei River north of the city and the collapse of the riverbank, the stele was unearthed again and erected in the weapons storeroom of the Confucian temple within the city of Yanling (currently within the compound of the county junior high school), where it has been preserved to this day.

The stele is 2.09 meters high, 0.96 meters wide, and 0.24 meters thick. The characters are about 0.04 meters in size, while the characters in the heading are about 0.08 meters. The original inscription at the top of the stele was in seal script, but today only the characters “从” (cong) and “铭” (ming) remain. There is a round hole in the center of the top, with a diameter of 0.13 meters. The lower part of the stele has minor erosion. Starting from the hole, there is a one-meter-long crack extending downward through sixteen characters. After undergoing stabilization treatment in 1990, it has been well preserved to this day. The main body of the inscription consists of fourteen lines, each containing twenty-seven characters, except the last line which has seventeen characters, totaling 368 characters. The text describes the family background and achievements of Yin Zhou, an officer of Yuzhou in the Han Dynasty. It states: Yin Zhou, courtesy name Zhounan, was a native of Yanling. His ancestors served as Shiyin in the Zhou dynasty, from which the family took its surname. After the Qin unified China, the family scattered across various regions, with one branch settling in Yanling, Yingchuan Commandery—this was the lineage of Yin Zhou. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, he began his official career in the early Xiping era, successively holding positions such as prefectural clerk, postal inspector, yamen official, merit officer, acting magistrate of Kunyang, and officer of Yuzhou. He passed away in the sixth year of the Xiping era. The remainder of the text is largely devoted to praising his virtues and accomplishments. The reverse side of the stele records the circumstances of the stele being transported from Weichuan to Yanling in the third year of the Huangqing era (1314 AD).

The stele was carved in the fourth month of the sixth year of the Xiping era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (177 AD), and the names of the calligrapher or author are not recorded. The calligraphy is neat and well-proportioned, with a rigorous structure, bold and powerful strokes, and skilled brushwork. The overall composition is harmonious and unadorned, displaying a simple yet elegant beauty, which has been highly regarded by calligraphers throughout history. The stele itself, its calligraphy, and its text all hold a significant place in the history of Chinese calligraphy, making it a rare masterpiece of Han dynasty calligraphy and stone carving. It is rich in cultural content and holds important reference value for the study of the development, evolution, and transition of clerical script into regular script. It also possesses high historical, scientific, and artistic value, and is one of the most renowned extant steles in China. In June 1963, it was designated as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Henan Province.

Previous generations have held the calligraphy artistry of this stele in particularly high esteem, praising it as "square, solemn, and majestic—among the finest of Han steles." Kang Youwei greatly admired this stele. In his work "Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji," he wrote: "The 'Yin Zhou' stele is graceful and elegant, sharing the same school as the 'Han Ce,' 'Yang Mengwen,' and 'Cao Quan' steles, all being exquisite works of Han clerical script." Indeed, the brushwork of this stele is round and smooth, with clear and distinct wave strokes, and the character structures are expansive and relaxed, showing no signs of constraint or awkwardness. The brush intent pioneers new methods, and the characters on the stele follow the orthodox Han style, making it a good entry point for beginners learning calligraphy.

The rubbing of the "Stele of Yin Zhou" housed in the Yanling County Archives is an original Ming dynasty rubbing, with the character outlines largely intact—no characters are missing. The last three characters of the thirteenth line, “德寿不” (dé shòu bù), are perfectly preserved, and though there is a slight crack at the beginning of the seventh line, it does not damage the characters. The font is plump and square, and the paper, ink, and rubbing craftsmanship are extremely refined, making it a treasured rubbing rare even in China. It holds great value for collectors and serves as an excellent model for calligraphy enthusiasts to practice and appreciate.

On October 7, 2019, the Stele of Yin Zhou was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units