Carvings on the Cliff Face of Huayang Cave

Carvings on the Cliff Face of Huayang Cave

The carvings on the cliff face of Huayang Cave are located to the south of Jijin Peak within the Maoshan Scenic Area, Hongmiao Village, Maoshan Town, Jurong City. The entrance of Huayang Cave faces west and is the largest karst cave in Maoshan. The flat and open cliff surface bears dozens of inscriptions from visitors dating from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. At the center of the upper part of the cliff is carved the three large regular-script characters “Huayang Cave” (华阳洞), each with a base diameter of about one meter. Among the numerous inscriptions, those from the second year of the Huangyou era of the Song Dynasty (1050), including those by He Di, Chen Fu, Guo Wei, and the Taichang Doctor, are still clearly legible. There are also many inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty, such as the one dated the 17th day of the fourth month in the year Xinwei of the Zhengde era (1511), which reads: “Qiao Yu of Taiyuan, He Yi of Jingkou, He Guan, and Sun Yao visited here together.” In the 40th year of the Jiajing era (1561), the two large characters “Qixuan” (栖玄, meaning “Dwelling in Mystery”) were inscribed. The site is currently well preserved and serves as an attraction within the scenic area. The lower part and the cave have been developed for tourism, though the inscriptions show relatively severe weathering.

On June 5, 2006, the Carvings on the Cliff Face of Huayang Cave were designated as part of the sixth group of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Maoshan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Jurong City. It is a renowned revolutionary base area, a sacred site of Taoism, and a popular tourist destination. Established as Maoshan Township in 1950, it was reorganized as a commune in 1958, reverted to township status in 1983, and became a town in 1985. Located in the southeastern part of the city, it is 25 kilometers from the urban center. Covering an area of 32.2 square kilometers with a population of 14,000, it is traversed by the provincial highway from Changzhou to Lishui to the south, and connected by the Jurong-Maoshan and Houbai-Maoshan roads. The town administers eight village committees—Maoshan, Linshan, Xialin, Wuxu, Baiyun, Yuchen, Chengcun, and Huaxing—as well as one neighborhood committee, Nanzhen Street. Agricultural products include rice, wheat, and rapeseed... More detailed information about Maoshan Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Group of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units