Han Dynasty stone relief records two sages’ meeting

Confucius and Laozi were two renowned philosophers during the pre-Qin period (770-221BC), who respectively initiated Confucianism and Taoism. A Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) stone relief depicts the two sages’ meeting.

On the upper layer of the stone, Confucius meets Laozi, who is standing holding a stick. A child called Xiang Tuo is facing Confucius and standing in the middle pulling a two-wheeled cart. Confucius is holding a pheasant with two hands and bowing to Xiang Tuo to seek knowledge from him. On the lower layer of the stone, there is a horse and a cart.

Excavated from Jiaxiang county, Shandong province, in 1909, the stone relief reflects the social ideology and Confucianism development from more than 2,000 years ago. It is a treasure in the permanent collection of the Shandong Museum.