Stone Beam Cliff Inscriptions

Stone Beam Cliff Inscriptions

The Stone Beam Cliff Inscriptions are a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Stone Beam Cliff Inscriptions (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Song Dynasty – Qing Dynasty

Announcement Date: March 16, 2005

The Stone Beam, also known as the Stone Bridge, is located in a valley 17.5 kilometers northeast of Tiantai County. The surrounding rock faces feature over 30 cliff inscriptions from various dynasties, including: the seal script “Gai Zhu Cave Heaven” by Ding Darong, Tiantai County Magistrate of the Song Dynasty; the clerical script “Flying Beam and Hanging Waterfall” by Gan Yu of the Ming Dynasty; the regular script “Grand View” by Shi Lun; “Divine Dragon’s Tail Swinging” by Chen Ju; the running script “Starry Bridge Scenery” by Wang Xie; the clerical script “Former Visit, Again Here” by Liu (Wang’ao) of the Qing Dynasty; the clerical script “Gateway of Ten Thousand Mountains” by Cao Lunxuan; and the regular script “Stone Beam Waterfall” by Kang Youwei, all of which hold significant historical and artistic value.

On the western side of the Stone Beam stands the Bronze Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, cast in the first year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1621), sponsored by eunuch Xu Gui and others. The inner walls of the hall feature three sides of embossed reliefs depicting the Five Hundred Arhats crossing the sea, with no two faces alike.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units