The Cup and Plate Carvings on Kongwang Mountain

The Cup and Plate Carvings on Kongwang Mountain

The Cup and Plate Carvings on Kongwang Mountain are a cultural relic protection unit of Lianyungang City.

The Cup and Plate Carvings on Kongwang Mountain are located at the summit of Kongwang Mountain in Kongwangshan Neighborhood Committee, Quyang Subdistrict, Haizhou District. They were carved from a single large natural rock. Due to the rock’s inkstone-like shape, it is commonly referred to as the “Inkstone Rock.” The rock measures 320 cm in length from east to west, 200 cm in width, and 70–100 cm in thickness, with three smaller stones supporting its base. In the center of the large rock is an inset shallow basin, surrounded by eight shallow cups. Thirty centimeters to the west of the cup and plate arrangement are two tablet slots, and the thick northeastern wall of the rock is inscribed with the two clerical script characters “Yàn Shí” (Inkstone Rock). Based on the “Wu Jun Bei Pan Wen” (Text of the Five Gentlemen’s Cup and Plate) recorded in the *Lì Xù* (*Sequel to the Stone Classics*) and the cup and plate artifacts unearthed from Eastern Han tombs in Haizhou, it has been determined that the Cup and Plate Carvings on Kongwang Mountain date back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Furthermore, according to the *Book of the Later Han: Biographies of Masters of the Way*, the main deity worshipped by the people in the coastal region of Eastern Haijun (an ancient commandery) was the Donghai Jun (Lord of the Eastern Sea), and the Donghai Temple of that time was located at the foot of Kongwang Mountain. This indicates that the Cup and Plate Carvings on Kongwang Mountain were ritual objects used by the Han people to worship the Donghai Jun. The Eastern Han Cup and Plate Carvings represent a rare early relic of Taoist activity, holding significant importance for studying the origins of Taoism in China and the activities of early Taoist practitioners. Given that it is situated on the same mountain as the Kongwang Mountain Cliff Carvings, it is also of particular value for the study of those carvings. In 1982, it was designated as part of the first group of cultural relic protection units in Lianyungang City.

Kongwang Mountain Community: Kongwang Mountain Community is located at No. 120, South Yancheng Road. ... More details about Kongwang Mountain Community ++