Tombstone of Zhang Cheng

　　    Erected within the ancestral cemetery of the Zhang family, south of Baihai Village, Nanluji Town, Chengwu County, the tombstone of Zhang Cheng has a stone figure (Wengzhong) standing five meters to its east, and to the south of the figure there is a sacred path and a stone forest gate. Zhang Cheng was the father of Zhang Zi, who served as the Deputy Minister of the Salt Transportation Bureau for the Two Huai Regions during the Yuan Dynasty. Zhang Cheng passed away in the fourth year of the Zhiyuan era (1311 AD) and was buried in Xiaofangli, Chengwu. The tombstone was erected in the second year of the Yanxing era (1315 AD) during the Yuan Dynasty, in March. The epitaph was composed by Yuan Mingshan, a Hanlin Academician and Lecturer, Middle-Ranking Official in Charge of Drafting Imperial Edicts and National History; the title inscription was engraved by Wang Yi, a Senior Official and Chief Censor; and the calligraphy was done by Zhao Mengfu, a renowned calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty, Scholar of the Jixian Academy, and Senior Official of Virtue and Talent. It is acclaimed as the “Three Perfections Stele” and has always been highly treasured. Rubbings have often been made of it through the generations. The stele is made of bluestone, measuring 440 cm in height, 120 cm in width, and 44 cm in thickness. It features a coiled-dragon capital and a turtle pedestal, demonstrating a grand design. The inscription spans 22 lines, with up to 60 characters per line. Most of the turtle pedestal is now buried underground. Aside from some areas damaged by human activity, the majority of the text remains intact and legible. The calligraphy is in regular script, with characters that are elegant, spacious, graceful, and refined. The strokes are steady and masterfully executed, the structure rigorous, and the overall style exudes classical charm. It is considered one of the finest representative works of Zhao Mengfu. In 1981, the Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau allocated special funds to construct a stele pavilion. In 1989, it was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection unit. In 2009, the Tombstone of Zhang Cheng was further listed as one of the first batch of municipal-level cultural relics protection units by the Heze Municipal People’s Government.

　　    Source: Heze Municipal Office of Local Chronicles