The funerary stelae (bei) of the elite are among the characteristic Chinese art-forms. They began to be erected outside important tombs in the Eastern Han Empire, having previously been reserved for the Imperial Family. However, the upright type of stela lasted for only a century, before they were replaced with the bench-shaped memorials (muzhi). These forms predominated until the end of the Chinese Republic in AD 1949, but the upright stela did make something of a comeback during the Ming (AD 1368 – AD 1644) and Qing (AD 1644 – AD 1911) Dynasties. Grave stelae are most usually inscribed with the name and achievements of the deceased, however poetic stelae are also known, especially when they form part of a larger commemorative complex for a wealthy or significant person.

As symbolic welcoming-posts, they functioned somewhat like a gateway, flanking the entrance to the tomb, and were merged with other symbols associated with the doorway. Most notable among these are guardian lions (shíshī), which stood in pairs outside the doors of houses, palaces, tombs and government buildings. Most often, shíshī were male and female, to represent the opposing forces of yin and yang. The male (yang) clutches in his paw a ball (xiù qiú), whereas the female is depicted with her cub. Often one lion has his mouth open, while the other has hers closed; in this case, they are taken to be enunciating the Buddhist mantra ōm, considered the first utterance in Indic religions. Incorporated into the grave stela, they served to both protect the tomb and to welcome those who come to pay their respects.

The columns are phenomenally well-carved, with precise and clear lettering in the cursive script (caoshū, literally ‘grass script’), which simplifies the often complex regular characters (kaishū). However, since they run together and make extensive use of ligatures, they are difficult for the uninitiated to translate. The script is presented on carved versions of the hanging banners which were common in Chinese households, depicting poetic couplets. In this case, the couplet reads: ‘there are flowers and lights that at night [would] light themselves […] Spring would often stay with no moon or bird.’ The composer of these beautiful lines is unknown; in theme, with a focus on the Moon, birds and Spring, the poem is reminiscent of the poetry of the Tang Dynasty, including poets such as Li Bao.

The columns rise from the backs of shíshī, reflecting the dual function of the stelae. Unlike most Chinese guardian lions, they are standing rather than sitting, with no distinction between the masculine and feminine. They stare upwards, so that the viewer can see their full face, teeth bared, in a gesture of protection for the tomb. Each wears an arrangement of bells, and a caparison (míng), more commonly worn by a warhorse, which protects their backs at the point from which the column rises. In this respect, it looks very similar to a traditional form of Chinese stelae, usually supported by a tortoise (bixi) rather than a lion, examples of which commemorate the commemorate Emperor Qianlong’s rebuilding of the Lugou Bridge, and record the achievements of past Emperors at the Shengdong Shengde Stela Pavilion in the Forbidden City. At the top edge of each post, there is a slit on the inner side. This is for a lintel, now lost, which would have borne a third inscription. Overall, this funerary ensemble would have acted as a gateway () to the tomb complex, which likely contained other stelae giving the details of the deceased, as well as the tomb itself.