Tomb Stele of Tali Chi

Tomb Stele of Tali Chi

The Tomb Stele of Tali Chi is a protected cultural heritage site of Henan Province.

The Tomb Stele of Tali Chi, dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, is among the first batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units. It is located on the sunny side of Sānduī Mountain, southwest of Guānyá Village in Zhàozhuāng Township.

The stele stands 4.1 meters tall, is 1.15 meters wide, and 0.36 meters thick. The round top is carved with two dragons playing with a pearl, and it rests on a tortoise-shaped base. The tablet’s top features an inscription in intaglio seal script reading “Eulogistic Stele Inscription of the Divine Path of the Duke of Linru Commandery of the Great Yuan.” The stele was erected in the third year of the Zhìzhì era (1323) by his son Wànnú, who was the Pacification Commissioner and Marshal of the Guangxi Circuit. The title tablet was inscribed in seal script by Cháhǎn, the text was composed by Sòng Mínwàng, and the calligraphy was done by Jiāng Yuánzuǒ. The main body of the stele is written in regular script, comprising 28 lines with up to 71 characters per line. The first line reads: “Eulogistic Stele Inscription of the Divine Path of the Duke of Linru Commandery, Protector-General, Pacification Commissioner and Marshal of the Zhe Dong Circuit, Grand Tutor, posthumously honored as Auxiliary State General of the Great Yuan.”

Tali Chi (1243–1306), of Mongolian ethnicity, was originally from the Kangli people during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. In his youth, he showed exceptional talent in literary and artistic pursuits, and as he matured, he demonstrated bravery and a bold temperament. He later inherited his father’s military position, served as an official with a silver tablet, participated in military campaigns, and was involved in troop deployment. During the campaign against the Southern Song, he earned numerous military merits and was appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Fujian. After the campaign, he ventured to Jiaozhi, Liangguang, and suppressed various rebellions, eventually being promoted to Marshal and Pacification Commissioner of the Zhe Dong Circuit. In the tenth year of the Dàdé era (1306), he died of complications from an old arrow wound at Yánpíng Post, at the age of 63, and was buried on the sunny side of Sānhuái Mountain, south of Guānyá Village, approximately 17.5 kilometers northwest of Bǎofēng County.

The content of the stele mainly recounts Tali Chi’s lineage, official career, so-called “military achievements” in the destruction of the Southern Song and the suppression of peasant uprisings and ethnic minority resistance in the south, as well as details about his birth and death dates, relatives, and descendants. The inscription helps to correct errors and fill gaps in the official history found in the “Biography of Tali Chi” in the History of Yuan.

Xīngtáng Subdistrict: Xīngtáng Subdistrict. … Detailed information about Xīngtáng Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Henan Province