The Spirit Way Stele of Wang Renyu

　　Wang Renyu, courtesy name Depian, was a native of Changdao in the Qin Prefecture during the Five Dynasties period. His hometown is now Zhanchongwan Village, Shiqiao Town, Li County. He was a prominent politician and literary figure of the Five Dynasties, later promoted to the position of Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince under the Later Zhou Dynasty. After his death from illness, he was posthumously honored as Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince. He was born in the first year of Guangming during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang (880 AD), and passed away from illness in the third year of Xiande during the Later Zhou Dynasty (956 AD) at his private residence in Baoji Fang, Kaifeng.

　　Sixteen years later, his remains were escorted back to his hometown for burial by his eldest grandson, the imperial secretary Wang Yongxi. Thirteen years after that, in the first year of Yongxi during the Song Dynasty (984 AD), the stele was erected by his student Li Fang, who was then serving as prime minister. The text was composed by Li Fang, inscribed by Zhang He, and the stele’s title was engraved in seal script. It was erected by Wang Yongxi.

　　The Spirit Way Stele of Wang Renyu consists of three parts: the stele head, the main body, and the base. The stele head and main body are carved from a single massive stone slab, measuring 3.05 meters in total length, 1.14 meters in width, and 0.4 meters in thickness. The top of the stele is inscribed in seal script with the words “Spirit Way Stele of the Late Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince, Lord Wang of the Zhou Dynasty.” The main face of the stele features a stele inscription in regular script, carved in intaglio, arranged vertically in 36 columns from right to left, with 71 characters per column, totaling over 2,500 characters. The calligraphy on the stele is vigorous and elegant, and the carving is exquisitely crafted. It is a valuable stone inscription for the study of the history of the Five Dynasties and the calligraphic art of the Song Dynasty.