The original engraved stones were kept in Jiangning until it was destroyed in 1805 during the Jiajing era. Before that time many rubbings were made from the stone, wearing down the characters and eventually requiring the stele to be recarved. Therefore, early rubbings taken from the original engraving and showing well-defined characters have been highly prized by collectors. That the characters and remain intact indicates that this rubbing was taken dirctly from the stele itself and dated to the mid-Ming period.