Hu Gongyan Cliff Carvings

Hu Gongyan Cliff Carvings

The Hu Gongyan Cliff Carvings are a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Hu Gongyan is situated on the southern slope of Shenggui Mountain in Yuyao. In the 27th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Hu Zongxian was appointed as the county magistrate of Yuyao and successfully halted the destructive practice of quarrying stones from Shenggui Mountain. A decade later, he was promoted to Governor-General of Zhejiang. Leading anti-Wokou campaigns, he frequently visited Yuyao and stationed troops at the base of Shenggui Mountain. In honor of Hu Zongxian, a statue of him in official robes was carved into the southern slope of Shenggui Mountain in the 40th year of the Jiajing era—this is why it came to be known as "Hu Gongyan." Shenggui Mountain became a popular scenic spot not just because of its rock holes, but mainly due to the cliff carvings created from the Ming Dynasty through the Qing Dynasty and even into the Republican era. Originally, there was the Temple of General Liu on Shenggui Mountain, dedicated to Eastern Jin Dynasty general Liu Laozhi. By the time of the Jiajing era in the Ming Dynasty, the Fuchu Academy was built in front of the temple, and a statue of Hu Zongxian presiding over a fair trial was carved. However, with the passage of time, both the temple and the academy gradually fell into disrepair. During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, a monk took interest in the old site, rebuilt it as a Buddhist monastery, and carved Buddhist statues into the mountain cliffs—a project that took twenty years to complete and came to be called the Shenggui Mountain Temple. Additional carvings included a laughing Maitreya Buddha with exposed belly, a mad monk Ji Gong holding a broken banana leaf fan, as well as a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva seated cross-legged on a lotus throne above turbulent waves of the South Sea, with a giant turtle swimming nearby. On the eastern side, there is a standing statue of Sakyamuni stepping barefoot on a precious lotus pedestal, along with several stern-faced arhat statues, each about five meters tall. These Buddhist statues feature vivid designs and diverse expressions, reflecting a high level of artistic craftsmanship.

The Hu Gongyan Cliff Carvings were listed as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit in June 1981, and were designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Zhejiang Province on March 16, 2005.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units