Shima Mountain Rock Carvings

Shima Mountain Rock Carvings

Shima Mountain Rock Carvings is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Shima Mountain Rock Carvings (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Southern Dynasties

Announcement Date: August 29, 1997

Located on the western slope of Shima Mountain in Xitan Village, Linxi Township. The rock face is vertical, rising 6 meters above ground level and stretching approximately 10 meters in width. It can be divided into three groups based on natural fissures. The first group is located at the northern end, covering an area about 1 meter high and 2 meters wide, with severe erosion on the rock surface. The second group is in the middle and forms the main body of the rock carvings. It covers an area about 2 meters high and 3 meters wide, featuring an incised Buddhist pagoda with seven tiers, standing 1.6 meters tall. Each tier is carved with Buddha images, and the middle three tiers also include inscriptions. Statues of Buddhas, figures, and the date inscription “Seventh Month, Twenty-Seventh Day, First Year of Yongding (557)” are carved on both sides of the pagoda. The third group is at the southern end, covering an area about 1 meter high and 2 meters wide, depicting Buddha statues, houses, and other subjects. All three groups of rock art are executed in single and double-line engraving techniques, predominantly using the double-line method. The content belongs to the category of Buddhist stories. The dated inscriptions are in regular script with a style reminiscent of Northern Wei Dynasty steles, with character sizes approximately 0.035–0.04 meters. Early rock carvings with clear dating are relatively rare in Zhejiang.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units