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The most popular tablets are :
- the "Huang Pudan Tablet" inscribed by Ou Yangxun, the early Tang calligrapher,
- the "Master Daoyin Tablet" inscribed by Ou Yangtong, Ou Yangxun's son,
- the "Duobao Pagoda Tablet" and the "Yan's Family Temple Tablet" inscribed by Yah Zhenqing,
- the "Mysterious Pagoda Tablet" inscribed by Liu Gongquan in the late Tang Dynasty,
- the "Tablet of Forward to the Sacred Teaching of Monk Xuan Zang" inscribed by Monk Huai Ren in Chang'an's Hongfu Temple in the handwriting of Wang Xizhi, the great calligrapher. This tablet is known as the "most valuable copybook",
- and the world famous tablet "Nestorian Tablet".
The Nestorian Tablet provides precious data for the study of the cultural exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and other countries. "Da Qin" is an ancient Chinese term for the Roman Empire. Nestorianism is a sect of Christianity. It was so named after it was introduced into China. In 635 A.D. it was then introduced into Chang'an. The tablet was engraved and erected in 781 A.D.. The inscription states the doctrine and rites of Nestorianism, its spreading in China and its activities in a period of 150 years in the Tang Dynasty. What is more, there are names of many missionaries and important incidents inscribed on the tablet in the Syriac language.
The Nestorian Tablet was originally erected in the Da Qin Temple. It was unearthed in 1623 A.D. and then moved to the Jin Sheng Temple in the western suburbs of Xi'an. Later on rubings of the tablet flew overseas and were translated into Latin, which arouse attention of many countries. Some foreigners believed that since Europe had many Christians, such a tablet recording Nestorianism should be shifted to Europe for people to show respects. So in 1907, Britain sent Holmore, a Danish man, to Xi'an in an attempt to buy the tablet at a cost of 3,000 tael of silver. When the inspector in Shaanxi got the news, he immediately moved the tablet into the Stone Forest. Holmore could not do anything but made a false tablet and shipped it back to London. |
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