The Steed of Integrity Stele

The Steed of Integrity Stele

The Steed of Integrity Stele is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Steed of Integrity Stele was originally placed on the inner wall of the Guan Zhongjie Shrine in Humen Fort. It was erected in the first year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1860) when the shrine was renovated, by Zheng Yaoyang, the Lieutenant Commander of the Humen Naval Forces, and Lai Jianyou, the Militia Commander of the Right Battalion.

The stele is made of black cloud stone, measuring 1.5 meters in length, 0.4 meters in width, and 0.023 meters in thickness. The Steed of Integrity Stele combines imagery and text; the front section features a vivid depiction of the Steed of Integrity, while the rear section contains the poetic essay “Ode to the Steed” that praises its loyalty. It documents the events of January 7, 1841, when British forces launched a major attack on the Shajiao Fort at the Humen Estuary. The fort’s commander, Chen Liansheng, led over 600 officers and soldiers in resisting an enemy several times their number, with the vast majority dying as martyrs. Chen Liansheng’s warhorse was captured and taken to Hong Kong. This horse, having long fought alongside its master, was well-trained and shared his master’s spirit.

The British invaders tried to feed it, but it refused to eat; when they approached, it kicked; when they tried to ride it, it threw them off; it feared no sword strikes. Later, it was released into the mountains of Hong Kong, where it wouldn’t even eat the grass on the ground, but instead cried out mournfully each day in the direction of the Shajiao Battery in Humen. Kind-hearted Chinese people would feed it, but it would only eat when the food was offered directly; if placed on the ground, it would not touch it and would walk away with its head held high. Whenever someone who came close told it that they knew it was General Chen Liansheng’s steed, tears would well up in its eyes. When told that someone would take it back to Humen, it would wag its tail and follow. However, the British invaders never agreed to let it return.

It endured hunger for a long time, and finally died in Hong Kong in May 1842, becoming a heroic steed whose story has been celebrated through the ages. Later generations depicted its form, praised its integrity, and engraved it onto a stone stele for the public to worship.

In 1838, after the Japanese invasion of Humen, the Guan Zhongjie Shrine in Humen Fort was destroyed in an air raid by the Japanese, and the Steed of Integrity Stele also collapsed and was buried under the rubble. In the autumn of 1954, naval forces at Shajiao sent personnel to Taiping and other areas to collect historical materials about the Opium War for patriotic education among soldiers. Based on clues provided by local residents, they found the middle section of the Steed of Integrity Stele in the rubble at the former site of the Guan Zhongjie Shrine in Humen Fort. Later, the front section was found beneath the kitchen floor of an elderly resident’s home, and the rear section was discovered under the bridge of the Guan Yue Temple. The three pieces were pieced together to form a complete Steed of Integrity Stele. The original stele is now housed in the Guangzhou Museum, while the Opium War Museum displays a replica.

After the Steed of Integrity Stele was put on display, many domestic and international visitors were moved by the spirit of the steed. An article in the People's Liberation Army Daily on May 30, 1990, wrote: “A horse without 'integrity' will sway with its rider; a person without 'integrity' will surely bow and scrape.” For a person to stand tall and upright, mere flesh and blood is not enough—they must also have the spirit of unyielding strength. Central leaders who viewed the Steed of Integrity Stele also spoke highly of the steed’s spirit. The Steed of Integrity Stele has become an excellent educational tool for patriotism.