Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Dan, Prince Zhongwu of Shixing of the Liang Dynasty

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Dan, Prince Zhongwu of Shixing of the Liang Dynasty

The Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Dan, Prince Zhongwu of Shixing of the Liang Dynasty are Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Stone Carvings at the Tomb of Xiao Dan, Prince Zhongwu of Shixing of the Liang Dynasty

Jiangsu Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit, First and Second Batches, Announced in Revised Form in March 1982. The stone carvings at the tomb of Xiao Dan, Prince Zhongwu of Shixing of the Liang Dynasty, date back to the Southern Dynasties (522 AD) and are located in Ganjiaxiang, Nanjing. In 1988, they were announced as part of the “Stone Carvings of the Southern Dynasties Tombs in Nanjing” and included in the Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

The site is located in Hualin Village, west of Ganjiaxiang, in the northeastern suburbs. It is 4 kilometers southwest of Yaohuamen. Xiao Dan, Prince Zhongwu of Shixing of the Liang Dynasty (479–522), courtesy name Sengda, was the tenth son of Emperor Wen of Liang, Xiao Shunzhi. In the first year of the Tianjian era (502), he served as Governor of Jingzhou and was enfeoffed as Prince of Shixing Commandery. In the eighteenth year (519), he was promoted to Palace Attendant, Central Pacification General, Commandery Duke with Equal Ceremony, and Leader of the Army. He passed away in November of the third year of the Putong era (522), and was posthumously granted the titles of Palace Attendant, Minister over the Masses, General of Agile Cavalry, and honored with the posthumous name “Zhongwu.” Xiao Dan’s tomb faces southeast. Currently, in front of the tomb there are two stone winged beasts (石辟邪), one stone stele, and two stone turtle bases (龟趺). The eastern stone winged beast is 3.75 meters long, 2.92 meters high, and 1.60 meters wide. It is a male figure, with its head missing, the middle section of its body broken, and its legs fragmented. The beast holds its head high and chest out, with the front part of its wings carved with wave patterns and the rear adorned with long feathers. The beard under its forehead is styled into eight hanging strands, and its body is engraved with swirling cloud motifs. Its spine is raised, and the lines are bold and vigorous. Its size and shape closely resemble those of the winged beasts at the tombs of Xiao Huan and Xiao Xiu. On its abdomen sits a smaller winged beast, 1.04 meters high and 1.04 meters long, standing upright with its mouth open and tongue extended. The underside of its belly and the area between its front and hind legs are not hollowed out, and the carving is simple yet vivid. In November 1984, the Municipal Cultural Relics Management Committee discovered another similar small winged beast during the process of elevating the stone carvings. The western winged beast only has its rear hip remaining and is located 16.5 meters away from the eastern one. The stone stele is 20 meters north of the winged beasts, where a pair is believed to have originally stood. Currently, only the turtle base of the western stele remains, standing 1.16 meters high and 1.60 meters wide. The eastern stele is well-preserved and consists of three parts: the stele head, the main body, and the turtle base, with a total height of 5.61 meters. The stele head features bas-relief coiled dragons, with a circular perforation beneath the top tablet. The top tablet is inscribed with: “Stele of the Late Prince of Shixing, Commandery Duke with Equal Ceremony, General of Agile Cavalry, and Palace Attendant of the Liang Dynasty, Xiao Zhongwu.” The main body of the stele is 4.45 meters high, 1.60 meters wide, and 0.32 meters thick. Its sides are divided into eight sections, each carved with bird and animal decorative motifs. Although some parts of the inscription have worn away, the text is still over 2,800 characters long. It was composed by Xu Mian of Donghai and calligraphed in regular script by Bei Yiyuan of Wuxing. This is one of the most complete and extensive surviving steles among sixth-century tomb stone inscriptions. The turtle base is 1.16 meters high and 1.60 meters wide, with protruding eyes and a posture of lowering its head to the ground, rendered with remarkable liveliness. Originally, there was a stele pavilion. However, during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing in the War of Resistance against Japan, the pavilion was dismantled by the Japanese army, leaving the stele exposed to prolonged weathering, and the turtle base was buried in soil. Between 1954 and 1956, and again in 1984, the stele and turtle base were both elevated and reinforced. In 1957, a stele pavilion was built for protection. In 1988, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batches of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units