Shangqiu Baguan Zhai

　　  Baguan Zhai is located 500 meters south of Shangqiu City. Upon entering the courtyard, you can see an elegantly shaped octagonal pavilion housing an eight-sided stone stele. The stele is 3.2 meters tall and 0.5 meters wide on each side. It bears the “Songzhou Baguan Zhai Hui Dexu Ji” (Record of the Meritorious Assembly at Baguan Zhai in Songzhou), written by Yan Zhenqing in his later years.

　　  The massive eight-sided stone monument, officially titled the “Songzhou Baguan Zhai Hui Dexu Ji” Stele, was inscribed when Yan Zhenqing was 64 years old. It consists of 983 characters, including 944 in the main text, 13 in the title, and 26 listing the participants. The text is arranged in five rows per side, with up to 28 characters per row, each character about 9 cm tall. The calligraphy is meticulously structured, combining square forms with rounded brushstrokes, exuding dignity and grandeur. It also incorporates elements of seal and clerical script styles. Scholars such as Hou Fangyu, Wang Shizhen, and Kang Youwei highly praised it, considering it a masterpiece and even a divine work among Yan’s writings.

　　  What does “Songzhou Baguan Zhai Hui Dexu Ji” mean? In the Tang Dynasty, Shangqiu was called Songzhou. “Baguan Zhai” is a Buddhist term referring to eight precepts observed by lay devotees for one day and night: not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, not drinking alcohol, not sitting on high or luxurious beds, not wearing perfumes or adornments or watching singing and dancing, and not eating meat. These eight precepts are essentially the “Eight Precepts.” Whose virtue is being acknowledged? That of Tian Shengong, the military governor of Henan. Why him? During the later stages of the An Lushan Rebellion, rebel forces under Shi Chaoyi twice laid siege to Songzhou, and Tian Shengong relieved the city both times. After the sieges were lifted, Tian Shengong fell ill. When he was recovering, local officials held a grand assembly of 8,000 people at Kaiyuan Temple to express gratitude for the blessings bestowed by the deities. The stele documents this event. The story of “Yu the Great Taming the Flood-Dragon” also took place here. Legend has it that a flood dragon caused the four gates of Songzhou to be submerged. Enraged, Yu the Great transformed into an old woman delivering food. After the flood, the thirsty and hungry dragon grabbed a rice pot and drank from it indiscriminately. The noodles inside the pot turned into chains, which bound the dragon. It is said the dragon was locked in a well nearby, sealed beneath this massive stele, and people often report seeing traces of the dragon’s crimson blood.

　　  The story of the “Old Man Under the Moon” also unfolded here. According to various historical records, during the Tang Dynasty, a scholar named Wei Gu from Duling lived south of Shangqiu City. One night, under the moonlight, he went to Kaiyuan Temple and saw an old man reading a book. Wei Gu approached but couldn’t recognize the characters, so he asked the old man what book it was. The old man replied, “This is the Book of Marriages, where all marriages in the world are recorded.” Wei Gu then asked, “What’s in your bag?” The old man said, “It contains red threads. I tie the feet of a man and a woman together with these threads, and they become husband and wife.” Wei Gu asked, “Who is my wife?” The old man answered, “Your wife is in the northern part of this city. She is a three-year-old girl being carried by an old vegetable vendor surnamed Chen. You will marry her when she turns seventeen.” The next day, Wei Gu indeed saw the girl, but finding her unattractive, he grew disgusted and ordered a servant to kill her. The servant stabbed the girl in the face, causing a commotion. Frightened, the servant fled and reported back that the girl had been killed. Hearing of the incident, Wei Gu fled in panic. Fourteen years later, Wei Gu passed the imperial examination and became an official in Xiangzhou, Henan (now Anyang). Impressed by his talent, the prefect Wang Tai wanted to marry his daughter to Wei Gu, who gladly accepted, thinking his career would flourish with such a powerful connection.

　　  When Wei Gu lifted the bridal veil on his wedding night, he was stunned by his bride’s stunning beauty. However, he noticed something odd—while Tang women typically wore gold or silver hairpins on their foreheads, hers were placed between her eyebrows. When he asked, she explained that she was the niece of Prefect Wang. Her father had been a magistrate in Shangqiu but died in office. Soon after, her mother also passed away, and she was raised by a wet nurse. When she was three, someone stabbed her in the face, leaving a scar. To cover it, the gold hairpin had been placed over the scar. Wei Gu realized that the scar—and the stabbing—had been caused by his own servant. After he confessed, the bride didn’t blame him, and their relationship flourished. They later had a son named Wei Kun, who grew up to become the governor of Yanmen Pass. Longing for Shangqiu, the couple returned, and when the local magistrate heard their story, he hung a plaque labeled “Matchmaker’s Inn” on the inn where Wei Gu had stayed. From then on, people called it the “Matchmaker’s Inn.” It seems that once the Old Man Under the Moon ties the red thread, escape is impossible. “A thread connects those destined across a thousand miles”—that’s the idea. Some ask why the girl, unattractive at three, grew into a beauty. That’s no surprise; as the people of Shangqiu say, “A maiden changes eighteen times, and each time she becomes more beautiful.”

　　  Address: 500 meters south of the ancient city wall of Shangqiu, beside Provincial Highway 207, Suiyang District, Shangqiu City

　　  Type: Historical architecture / monument

　　  Recommended visit duration: 1–2 hours

　　  Opening hours:

　　  Summer: 8:00–17:30; Winter: 8:00–17:00

　　  Ticket information:

　　  No separate ticket required. Included in the 100 RMB Shangqiu Ancient City scenic area ticket.