Newly Discovered Tomb Steles from the People's Republic of China. Beijing. 1 (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Chinese Cultural Relics Research Institute
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Beijing has a long history and is rich in stone inscriptions. Excluding stone carvings, the stone inscriptions can be categorized into inscribed stones, cliff carvings, stone scriptures, steles, epitaphs, and more [1]. Among them, epitaphs are particularly numerous, even a rough estimate would suggest over a thousand [1]. The earliest is the epitaph of Wang Jun, wife of the Youzhou Governor of the Western Jin Dynasty (307 AD), unearthed in 1956 at Baobao Mountain in Shijingshan District [3], and the latest dates back to the Republican era. Epitaphs from various dynasties exist throughout this period. Generally speaking, Northern Qi and Sui dynasties have fewer epitaphs, while the Tang Dynasty, as well as the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, have more. The Ming and Qing dynasties have the most. Many epitaphs are of great value and have attracted strong interest from academia. For example: Four jade tablets unearthed from the tomb of Tang Shi Siming, inscribed with over 200 characters, are important historical documents for studying the later period of the "An Lushan Rebellion." The epitaphs of the Zhang family from the Liao and Jin dynasties (Jian, Si Fu, Guan, Qi) provide valuable insights into the prominent aristocratic families of the Beijing region during that time.