Two Steles Commemorating Imperial Tours from the Time When Pingcheng Was Capital of the Northern Wei

Abstract

In this article, I take up the stele commemorating Emperor Taiwuʼs eastern tour (“Taiwudi dongxun bei” 太武帝東巡碑 ; Tianxing 天興 1 [437]), said to be located in Yixian 易県 , Hebei province, and the stele commemorating Emperor Wenchengʼs southern tour (“Wenchengdi nanxun bei” 文成帝南巡碑; Heping 和平 2 [461]), which currently stands in the grounds of the temple Jueshansi 覚山寺 in Lingqiu 霊丘 county, Shanxi province. Both steles date from the period when Pingcheng 平城 (present-day Datong 大同 in Shanxi province) was the capital of the Northern Wei, and they were erected to commemorate imperial tours and extol the emperorʼs rule.

  In prior research, interest has focused on the contents of the inscriptions as viewed from a historical perspective, and the examination of their calligraphic style and the shape of the steles has been inadequate. In 2016 I conducted an on-site investigation of the “Wenchengdi nanxun bei,” and as a result I confirmed that both inscriptions are indicative of the level of contemporary calligraphy and follow the traditional design of steles.

  Further, taking into account their location and dates, I explore the aims behind the erection of these steles, that is, what they were intended to convey to whom. As a result, it became clear that both steles were located along important highways and stood at places that were important for subjugating new territories. That is to say, it is to be surmised that they had the aim of informing people both within and without the Northern Wei of the emperorʼs dominion and proclaiming his hegemony. The period when Pingcheng was capital could be said to have been a time when the Northern Wei state, which ruled over northern China by means of military force, needed to establish its legitimacy for governing the Han Chinese. The stele was a form of plastic art meant to be inscribed with outstanding writing and calligraphy and could be said to represent the quintessence of Chinese civilization. The erection of steles would also have had the aim of demonstrating to the Han Chinese that the emperor, who belonged to the non-Han Xianbei 鮮卑 tribe, was imbued with sufficient Han culture to rule over them.