Ten Thousand Tablet Heaven

Ten Thousand Tablet Heaven

The Western Pass peaks, composed of Early Cretaceous granite formed 128 million years ago, feature numerous columnar or blocky rock formations created by geological processes such as jointing, water flow, differential weathering, and collapse. From a distance, they resemble the ceremonial tablets held by ancient court officials when paying respects to the emperor, hence the name "Ten Thousand Tablet Heaven."

The exposed rocks are medium-thin layered fine-grained striated migmatite from the Tianzhu Mountain Complex, with main mineral components including plagioclase, quartz, and hornblende.

When rocks are subjected to tectonic forces that exceed their strength, they fracture. The most common type of fracture, which involves no significant displacement, is called a joint or fissure.

Joints are classified by their mechanical properties into two types: tension joints and shear joints. Tension joints are open with rough joint surfaces and do not extend far. Shear joints are generally closed, with smooth joint surfaces and greater extension. Based on the orientation of the joint planes, they can be categorized as oblique, vertical, or horizontal. Vertical joints often cut rocks into upright columnar blocks of various geometric shapes, hence also referred to as columnar joints.

Here, the amphibole-plagioclase gneiss features highly developed vertical columnar joints. Their joint planes are nearly upright and relatively smooth, belonging to a type of shear joint. These joints are densely distributed and intersect with one another, cutting the rocks into upright slab-like or columnar forms. Under physical weathering, the rocks split along the joints and, influenced by gravity, tilt or fall to varying degrees.

Ancient people referred to this geological phenomenon of rocks being cut by vertical joints as "Ten Thousand Tablet Heaven." Though somewhat exaggerated, the imagery is vivid, the metaphor apt, and the concept thought-provoking.

In the stone carving, the first character, “万” (wàn), is a quantifier meaning “myriad” or “numerous”; “笏” (hù) refers to the ceremonial tablet held by ancient officials during court audiences, specifically used for note-taking. “朝” (cháo) and “天” (tiān) carry dual meanings: one is the act of paying homage or worship, and the other describes the numerous tablets all facing upward toward the sky.

The scene depicted in the stone carving "Ten Thousand Tablet Heaven" is grand and majestic, with extraordinary momentum, illustrating the solemn rituals and magnificent atmosphere of the ancient Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.