Epitaph of Bian Kan’s Tomb

Epitaph of Bian Kan’s Tomb

The epitaph of Bian Kan’s tomb is a cultural relic protected at the municipal level in Nanjing.

Bian Kan’s tomb is located west of the Dacheng Hall in Nanjing’s Chaotian Palace, within the Nanjing Museum.

Bian Kan (281–328), courtesy name Wangzhi, was a native of Yuanyu (present-day Juancheng County, Shandong Province). During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he rose to the position of Minister over the Masses. After Emperor Cheng ascended the throne and the Empress Dowager governed as regent, Bian Kan, together with Yu Liang, assisted in state affairs. Later, he and his two sons died in battle while suppressing the rebellion of Su Jun and were buried at “Ye City” (now Chaotian Palace). According to the *Universal Gazetteer*, at the end of the reign of Emperor An of Jin, someone stole from Bian Kan’s tomb and found the corpse “rigid, with white hair and beard, face appearing lifelike, both hands clenched into fists, fingernails piercing through the backs of the hands.” Later, Emperor An funded a reburial, and subsequent dynasties carried out renovations. During the Southern Tang Dynasty, a Zhongzhen Pavilion was built in front of the tomb, and a fragmented stone inscription bearing Bian Kan’s name was unearthed underground. The currently preserved stele was re-erected in the third year of the Qingli era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1043) by Ye Qingchen, the prefect of Jiankang. The stele is 1.73 meters tall and 0.66 meters wide, and the inscription reads: “Tomb of Bian Gong, Duke of Chengyang, Minister over the Masses of the Jin Dynasty, Who Held Temporary Military Authority, Led Troops as General-in-Chief, and Was Posthumously Honored as Palace Attendant and General of Agile Cavalry.” To the east of the tomb, there was originally a “Zhongxiao Pavilion,” now no longer extant. In the late Qing Dynasty, a memorial archway and the Bian Gong Shrine were rebuilt, but the shrine buildings have since been converted into residential houses.