The Wang Renyu Shinto Monument is a cultural relic protection unit in Gansu Province.
Wang Renyu’s Shinto Monument
Wang Renyu, whose courtesy name was De Nian, was a Taoist priest from the governor of Qin during the Five Dynasties. His hometown was Zhanlongwan Village, Shiqiao Town, Jinli County. A famous politician and writer of the Five Dynasties, he ascended the throne as Prince Shaobao in the later Zhou Dynasty. After his death from illness, he was given the imperial edict as a gift to the Prince Shaobao. He was born in the first year of Guangming (880), the first year of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty (880), and died of illness in the third year of Zhou Xiande (956). He lived in the private residence of Baojifang, Kaifeng.
After a lapse of 16 years, the coffin was escorted and buried in his hometown by his legitimate grandson secretary Lang Wang Yongxi; after a lapse of 13 years, in 984, the first year of Emperor Yongxi of the Song Dynasty, an article was written by Li_, a disciple of Wang Renyu who was the prime minister at the time. Zhang He wrote elixirs and seals on the forehead, and Wang Yongxi erected a stele.
Wang Renyu’s Shinto stele consists of three parts: the head, the body and the stele. The head and body of the monument are carved from a single huge stone, with a length of 3.05 meters, a width of 1.14 meters and a thickness of 0.4 meters. The seal on the forehead of the stele reads "Stele of the Divine Way of the Prince and Young Master of the Zhou Dynasty". The inscription in regular script is inscribed in the middle of the stele, with 36 vertical lines from right to left, each line containing 71 characters, totaling more than 2,500 characters. The calligraphy on the stele is vigorous and beautiful, and the carving is exquisite. It is a precious stone carving for studying the history of the Five Dynasties and the calligraphy art of the Song Dynasty.
Zhanlong Village: Zhanlong Village