The Tangwu Stele stands at the ancestral cemetery of the Tangwu clan, south of Yangshibalang Village. Its full inscription reads: Stele of Lord Tangwu, Bestowed Title of Military Commandant Dunwu and Centurion of the Ten-Thousand Household Military-Civilian Administration of the Great Yuan Dynasty. The text records the family lineage from Tangwu Tai through Tangwu Lüma, Dahai, to Chongxi. It serves as tangible evidence of Mongol-Han ethnic integration and holds high historical, artistic, and scientific value濮阳县政府. It is a vital research source on the demise of the Tangut people, founders of the Western Xia regime.

Listed in the second batch of Henan Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in 1987濮阳县政府, it was later designated a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (sixth batch) by the State Council on May 25, 2006, as a representative Yuan-dynasty stone carving河南省文化和旅游厅.

The stele, facing a river, is the core of the cemetery complex and sheltered by a reconstructed pavilion. Erected in the 16th year of the Zhizheng reign (1356) of Emperor Huizong of Yuan, its text was composed by Pan Di, teacher of Yang Chongxi濮阳县政府. It documents the Tangwu lineage and provides critical proof that the Yang clans of Yangshibalang and nearby villages are descendants of the Tangut people.

In the early Yuan Dynasty, Lord Tangwu accompanied the imperial heir on southern campaigns, later settling here as a local official with military status. Known for integrity and promoting public welfare, he was deeply loved by the people.

In 1985, scholars Ren Chongyue and Mu Chaoqing traced clues from the stele’s inscription—the Epitaph of Lord Tangwu, Bestowed Title of Military Commandant Dunwu and Centurion of the Ten-Thousand Household Military-Civilian Administration of the Great Yuan Dynasty—to investigate Tangut descendants in Puyang. Cross-referencing the Yang family genealogy and Shu Shan Ji (Record of Benevolent Deeds), they confirmed that over 3,500 Yang residents in more than ten villages of Liutun Township, Puyang City, are Tangut descendants.

The clan’s ancestor, Tangwu Tai, originally lived in Xiliang Prefecture (modern Wuwei, Gansu). He surrendered to the Mongols at the end of Western Xia and served in their army for years. His son, Lüma, settled in Puyang and adopted the surname Yang, with the lineage now spanning 28 generations.

Though living in compact communities, the Yangs have long assimilated into Central Plains culture, with language and customs indistinguishable from the Han. Today they register as Han ethnicity but privately refer to themselves as Mongolians—likely because their ancestors claimed Mongol identity during the Yuan Dynasty. “Tangwu” was a short form of a Mongol surname in the Yuan, associated with clans residing near Helan Mountain in Ningxia.

In the early Yuan, Lord Tangwu followed the imperial princes south, aiding in the conquest of the Jin and Song dynasties with distinguished military service. He was upright, loyal, and generous. After retiring, he continued to benefit the local community, earning widespread respect. He is the ancestor of the Yang clans in Yangshibalang, Xiyang, and Nanyang villages of Liutun and Luhe townships, Puyang.

Erected in 1356 (late Yuan), the stele has survived 654 years through the dedicated protection of the Yang family. During wars, floods, or unrest, they buried it overnight to avoid damage. If threatened, the clan would uniformly claim the stele was lost, unearthing and re-erecting it after danger passed. This vigilance preserved it through numerous conflicts and political movements.

The most recent burial was before the Cultural Revolution; it was rediscovered in 1983. Designated a Henan Provincial Key Cultural Relic in November 1986, it became a national-level site in 2006.

Behind the stele pavilion stand six brick tombs aligned east–west. Each originally had a tombstone, now lost except for their bases, carved with fine floral patterns. Only the largest tomb is confirmed as that of the second-generation Tangwu; the others’ occupants remain unidentified. One tomb bears a robbery hole left by looters.

Yang Xuejing, who moved his restaurant near the stele to protect the site, notes that despite tempered glass shielding, wind and rain have worn the inscription, with characters on the north face now difficult to discern.