Ministry of Rites
Dismounting steles were placed in front of gates to important buildings or institutions such as imperial tombs, palaces, the Imperial City and major temples and shrines, especially shrines to Confucius. They were placed singularly or in pairs. Whether such steles are placed in front of a particular building was dictated by rules of protocol. In imperial times, this was generally controlled by the Ministry of Rites. The Emperor sometimes granted the placement of a dismounting stele as a sign of favor towards an institution, group or person.