"Yuan Xianjun's Epitaph", a Northern Wei Dynasty stone tablet, was unearthed in Luoyang in 1918 and is now in the Nanjing Museum. The stone is eighty-two centimeters long and fifty centimeters wide. Regular script, nineteen lines, twenty-one characters per line. The title in regular script is "Epitaph of Yuan Jun, a former scholar of Wei Dynasty". The two stones, Zhi and Gai, form a turtle shape and are uniquely engraved. They are the only Zhi stones seen in the past. The calligraphy of this Zhizhi is sharp, fast, fresh and vigorous, with an elegant and sharp edge; the structure is neat and elegant, and the momentum is full of wind and spirit. Looking at the whole chapter, although it is not as varied as "Cui Jingyong's Epitaph", the whole series is gratifying. Wu Shijian's "Jiuzhong Jingshe Jinshi Postscript" and Zhao Wanli's "Collection and Explanation of Epitaphs of the Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties" are both recorded.
"Yuan Xianjun's Epitaph" is made of limestone, with a height of 35 cm, a length of 75 cm, and a width of 56.5 cm. The upper part is the epitaph cover, which is engraved with quadrangular, pentagonal and hexagonal tortoise shell patterns with negative lines. In the center of the tortoise shell is the original inscription "Epitaph of Yuanjun, a former scholar of Wei Dynasty". The main text is engraved below, with nineteen lines, twenty-one characters per line, and a total of three hundred and fifty-seven characters. The top and bottom of Zhi Gai and Zhi Wen are exactly the same, which is a vivid and complete stone turtle, and the head, tail and four legs of the turtle are complete. The epitaph is made into the shape of a turtle, symbolizing longevity, and prays to the tomb owner for eternal life under the nine springs. This shape is the only one seen in epitaphs of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and rarely appears in later generations.
The epitaph was carved in February of the second year of Yanchang (513). It was unearthed in Luoyang, Henan in the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917). Soon after it was unearthed, it was purchased by Fu Yuanshu (Fu Zengxiang), a scholar of epigraphy. It was first stored in the Capital Museum (formerly the National Peking Museum). After the September 18th Incident, the Nanjing Nationalist Government decided to move the national treasure from the Palace Museum to the south. Yuan Xianjun’s epitaph was also moved with it, and finally settled in the Preparatory Office of the National Central Museum. Now it is collected in Nanjing Museum. The epitaph is exquisitely carved, has a special shape, has gorgeous diction and exquisite calligraphy. Therefore, it was highly valued by epigraphers and calligraphers as soon as it was unearthed. Wu Shijian's "Nine Bells Jingshe Jinshi Postscript" and Zhao Wanli's "Collection and Interpretation of Epitaphs of Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties" are both recorded. Until now, there are quite a few calligraphers who have studied and adapted this epitaph.