Qingyun Cliff Carvings

Qingyun Cliff Carvings

The Qingyun Cliff Carvings are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Qingyun Jurchen Cliff Carvings are located on the southern slope of Banji Mountain in Qingyun Village, Xiaoyang Township, approximately 40 kilometers southwest of Meihekou City, Jilin Province. They are among the few remaining Jurchen stone steles in China.

The cliff carvings are situated on a protruding rock face about 22 meters above the ground, halfway up the mountain. A vertical crack runs from top to bottom through the rock, splitting the cliff wall into two sections. The western stele is about 2 meters high and 1 meter wide, facing southeast. The eastern side is inscribed with Jurchen characters, with 4 to 15 characters per line. On the upper left protruding part, there are also 3 lines of 14 Jurchen characters. According to the translation and interpretation by expert Sun Jin, they read: “On the fifth day of the fifth month in the second year of the Shouguo era, I, Wen He Tai, led my family and tribe, gathered at the source of Fan'anjier. We captured a great many, hence the Meng’an was made to study under Dong.” The eastern cliff face faces south by east. The stele is 2.45 meters high and 1.1 to 2.5 meters wide. The upper right corner is inscribed with Chinese characters reading: “The Great Jin Emperor Taizu defeated the Liao army at Jieshan, rested his horses, and erected this stone.” Written vertically in regular script, these three lines contain 15 clear characters. Adjacent to these are 23 Jurchen characters, creating a parallel arrangement of Chinese and Jurchen texts.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units