Statue Stele of Lady Lu Gongji

Statue Stele of Lady Lu Gongji

The Statue Stele of Lady Lu Gongji is a cultural relic protection unit of Gansu Province.

The Statue Stele of Lady Lu Gongji is located on the first terrace on the north bank of the Niutou River, about 1 kilometer northwest of Qingshui County town. It stands in an eastward direction from the tomb of Zhao Chongguo, inside a hexagonal wooden stele pavilion. This commemorative stele was erected in the second year of the Tianhe era during the Northern Zhou Dynasty (567) by Ju Faxi, Prefectural Clerk and Administrator of the two commanderies of Nanyang and Fufan, and Magistrate of Qingshui, in honor of his deceased wife, Lady Lu Gongji. It records the commissioning of life-sized statues of Shakyamuni and Dingguang. The stele’s top is arched, measuring 2 meters in height, 0.85 meters in width, and 0.56 meters in thickness. It is made of conglomerate rock, with the lower right corner of the front side damaged. The central part of the front features a high-relief carving of Shakyamuni Buddha standing on a lotus pedestal. With gently curved eyebrows, straight eyes, a high nose, small mouth, and a full, round face, the figure places the abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness) on the chest with the left hand, while the right hand is positioned palm-outward at shoulder height. The statue wears a shawl-style kasaya over the upper body and a neatly folded skirt below, with smooth, flowing drapery lines that reflect the transitional style of China’s sculptural art during that period. At the center top of the stele is a shallowly carved bodhi tree, flanked by flying apsaras, a Buddha niche, a bodhisattva, and lions. The reverse side bears inscriptions in intaglio, written in the Wei script. The text consists of 8 lines with a total of 96 characters, written from left to right. The content of the stele is recorded in publications such as the Draft of the New Gazetteer of Gansu, Continuation of the Qinzhou Gazetteer, and Record of Metal and Stone Inscriptions in Longyou. The calligraphy on the stele is considered one of the finest surviving examples from the Northern Zhou period, holding significant historical, archaeological, and calligraphic artistic value.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Gansu Province