Home › Tourist Attractions › Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers

Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers

Category: Tourist Attractions 👁 100 views

Era: Song to Qing Dynasties The Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers are located in Shiyanei Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. In May 2013, they were designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. Distributed along the northern bank of the Qu River, these chambers were carved into the red sandstone hillsides by the river. There are currently over 50 surviving stone chambers. They may have been ancient quarry sites. The entrances to the chambers come in two types: one type is carved horizontally into the cliffs and extends deep inside, while the other features a square opening cut horizontally into the hillside, which then continues downward. The exact era when the chambers were formed remains undetermined based on current data. Some speculate, based on carvings of insects and birds found inside, that they date back to the Han or Southern Dynasties. A line from the Southern Song poet Zhou Dazhong’s poem — “The five supernatural smiths wielded their divine axes; since when were these hewn?” — suggests that the chambers were created long before that period. However, considering local social development factors, large-scale quarrying or the formation of most of the chambers likely occurred during the Song, Yuan, and later dynasties, including their extensive use in constructing city walls and residential buildings. Today, most of the chambers are well-preserved, and some have been developed for tourism, becoming popular destinations for visitors.

Overview Transport Tickets Specialties

The Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers are a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Era: Song to Qing Dynasties

The Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers are located in Shiyanei Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. In May 2013, they were designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. Distributed along the northern bank of the Qu River, these chambers were carved into the red sandstone hillsides by the river. There are currently over 50 surviving stone chambers. They may have been ancient quarry sites. The entrances to the chambers come in two types, one being carved along the cliff face and extending inward, and the other featuring a square opening cut into the slope and then dug downward. The era in which the chambers were formed cannot yet be confirmed based on existing information. Some people, judging by the carvings of insects and birds in the chambers, believe they date to the Han or Southern Dynasties; the Southern Song poet Zhou Dazhong wrote, “The five supernatural smiths wielded their divine axes, since when were these hewn?”, indicating that the earliest carving of the chambers predates that time by far. But taking into account local social development, large-scale mining or the formation of most of the chambers probably took place during the Song and Yuan periods and afterward, including their widespread use in building city walls and civilian houses. Most of the chambers are now well preserved, and some have been developed for tourism and have become popular scenic spots for visitors.