Snow of the Song Dynasty
Li Sanjian, a native of Qiongtai in Danzhou, lost his father and brothers at a young age and grew up relying on his mother for support. In order to escape the poverty that plagued his family, he embarked on the arduous path of taking the imperial examinations of the Song dynasty. All Li Sanjian wished for was to provide his family with a life of comfort, yet he was gradually drawn into the tumultuous struggles of the court, finding himself treading a thorn-strewn path. Along the way, he bore witness to the splendor and civilization of the Song. But change was looming, and the nation stood on the brink of disaster. If the skin is gone, to what can the hair cling? When the country is in peril, what becomes of home? For the sake of his loved ones, and to shield his picturesque homeland from the ravages of foreign invaders, Li Sanjian rose with resolve and fought back with all his might! With swords and armor, he charged forth like a tiger devouring the vast lands. The thunder of iron hooves sent snow flying in ten thousand heaps. Battle flags snapped in the wind, sweeping away all remnants of gloom. Even as generals fell on the battlefield clad in armor, their heroic bodies unyielding, they propped themselves up with their swords and smiled in defiance.
Snow of the Song Dynasty
Xia County in Shanzhou
Xia County, once known as Anyi in ancient times, is said in legend to have been the capital during the era of Yu the Great, and later the seat of the Xia Dynasty established by Qi, earning the title “the First Capital of Huaxia.” It is, in truth, one of the birthplaces of the Han people.
Yet, after the Song dynasty’s economic center gradually shifted south from the Kaifeng region, Xia County fell into decline; the county, along with the broader Shanzhou region, became a battlefield between the Song and Western Xia, resulting in desolate lands, sparse population, and economic stagnation.
Still, there remains one place in Xia County that is celebrated and renowned in every household throughout Song territory—the tomb of the late Grand Preceptor Sima Guang.
In the first year of Yuan You, Sima Guang passed away and was interred here. He was posthumously honored as Grand Tutor and Duke of Wen, with the title Wen Zheng conferred upon him.
The Song court, in gratitude for Sima Guang’s meritorious deeds, saw Emperor Zhezong Zhao Xu command Hanlin scholar Su Shi to compose the epitaph for Sima Guang’s spirit-way stele, bestowing upon it the title “Stele for Pure Loyalty and Perfect Virtue,” personally inscribed by the emperor.
The “Stele for Pure Loyalty and Perfect Virtue” stands nearly thirty feet tall, comprised of a capstone, a towering shaft, and a massive base. The grandeur of its capstone, the height of its shaft, the size of its pedestal, and the preciousness of the stone all complement each other in harmonious sp
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