Last year, the news of the discovery of the "mansion" of the Tang Dynasty Taiping Princess at the site of Zhengpingfang in Luoyang City of the Sui and Tang Dynasties caused a sensation. On February 28, the reporter learned from the Luoyang Tangcheng Task Force of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that a Tang Dynasty stone pillar symbolizing imperial power was unearthed at the Zhengpingfang site of Luoyang City in sui and Tang Dynasties, which was the first time such relics were found, further confirming the existence of high-grade royal buildings in the Zhengpingfang ruins. The stone pillar was excavated on the north side of the western half of the Zhengpingfang site, which is in front of the main hall of the Taiping Princess Mansion (later changed to the Anguo Female Taoist Temple). The main body of the stone pillar is complete, the base is missing, the height is about 2.6 meters, the whole body is bluestone material, the column body is eight-sided, there are jewels at the top of the column, the neck of the column is in the shape of a lotus flower, the carving knife method is refined, and the overall dignity is generous. Generally speaking, the pillars should be placed in pairs, and another stone pillar may be "reconstructed" in subsequent archaeological excavations. The excavation of the pillar symbolizing imperial power further confirms the existence of high-grade buildings in the ruins of Zhengpingfang.
Shi Zishe, head of the Luoyang Tangcheng Task Force of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that in ancient China, the pillar was a supporting facility for imperial tombs and royal ceremonial buildings, and although Princess Taiping was a princess and advocated a luxuriously decorated mansion, it was obviously against the etiquette system to stand on the pillar in the home. According to historical records, after The death of Princess Taiping, her residence was changed to an Anguo Female Taoist Temple, and after that, Tang Xuanzong's sister Princess Yuzhen also became a monk here. As a royal Taoist temple, the Anguo Female Taoist Temple stands on a stone pillar in front of its main hall, which is more reasonable, which further highlights the lofty status of the Anguo Female Taoist Temple at that time. (Reporters Zhang Tianyi and Wen Xiaojuan)
Source: Henan Daily