Hajni Elias’s contribution uncovers the memories of local
people in the southwest region through a close study of two stelae discovered in
2010 Chengdu. Elias argues that the stelae, erected for two prominent Governors of
the Shu 蜀 commandery, suggest local perceptions that the deeds and achievements
of the two local leaders were deemed more important than those of the emperor
who sat in a faraway capital. To achieve this, local officials highlighted their ser-
vice to the population yet downplayed their relationship to the dynastic ruler or
superior. Coming together, these works provide an opportunity to rethink not only
the complex messages behind stelae, but also what order meant in ancient China,
particularly in light of competing political discourses and local power scrambles.
