Buddha Cliff Stone Carvings

Buddha Cliff Stone Carvings

The Buddha Cliff Stone Carvings are a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Buddha Cliff Stone Carvings are located on Dajian Mountain within the territory of Futu Group, Futu Village, Siquan Town, about 20 kilometers northwest of Taihu County.

In 316 AD, the eminent Indian monk Fotu Cheng from the Jin Dynasty traveled here, built the Buddha Temple, and gave the mountain its name. The Buddha Cliff Stone Carvings are distributed on the stone walls surrounding the temple.

Futu Mountain is lofty and precipitous, covered with many cliff inscriptions. Some carvings have faded over time due to weathering and can no longer be fully discerned. Among them, the Ming Dynasty inscriptions are particularly eye-catching, most notably those by the Ming philosopher Luo Rufang, Taihu County Magistrate Li Shengying, Qing Dynasty Taihu County Magistrate Wang Damo, and early Qing poet Ma Renlong. The Taihu County Annals from the Qing Qianlong era recorded that Huang Tingjian, a calligrapher of the Song Dynasty, once visited Futu Mountain and left behind poetic inscriptions on the cliffs, though these are now difficult to locate due to the passage of time.

The poem “Touring Buddha Temple” by Wang Damo of the Qing Dynasty is inscribed on the “Screen Rock” on the right side of the entrance path to the mountain. The rock is 7.2 meters long, 3 meters high, flat as if cut, resembling a screen. The poem contains 44 lines and 220 characters, covering an inscribed area of 15 square meters. Upon entering Futu Mountain, there is a natural stone gate formed by three huge rocks—two standing and one lying across. The Ming Dynasty's Li Shengying engraved the three characters “Tianjiu Men” (Heaven-Made Gate) on the lintel. On the right inner wall of the gate, Luo Rufang’s running script is inscribed in intaglio: “Chen Shipan of Minshi Realm, Lin Penggan, Lin Xijin, Luo Rufang – Inscribed on Tian Shi in Autumn of Yi Mao Year,” totaling 24 characters. The left wall bears four running script characters by an anonymous author: “Dong Men Shen Suo” (Deeply Sealed Cave Door). The top features the inscription “Tian Shi” (Heaven Stone), and there are several other indiscernible carvings. Outside and to the left of Tianjiu Gate, the left stone wall holds a large number of carvings that have faded over time and can no longer be identified individually.

About 30 meters north of Tianjiu Gate lies the Buddha Temple. Below and to the left of the temple is “Feilai Quan” (Flying Spring), also known as “Feipu” (Flying Waterfall). On both sides are inscriptions such as “Qiulin” (Jade Forest), “Tian Shang Lai” (Coming from Heaven), “Fei Quan” (Flying Spring), “Chen Jin Xi Jin” (Wash Away Worldly Dust), and “Qie Lai Guan” (Come and Behold).

Behind the Buddha Temple, along winding stone steps uphill, you will find inscriptions such as “Bazheng Qiao” (Eight Virtues Bridge), “Ruyi Qiao” (Willow Bridge), and “Pi Yun Shi” (Cloud-Drifting Rock), as well as a Ming Dynasty inscription by Chen Shipan, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations from Changle County, Fujian: “Jinshi Qiao Liu Tianzhu Ta, Qingshan Ying Zuo Zhuangyuan Feng” (Exquisite Stones Cleverly Leave the Heavenly Pillar Pagoda, Green Mountains Should Become the Scholar’s Peak). Upon reaching the Heavenly Pillar Pagoda, the structure consists of five massive stones stacked together, approximately 20 meters high, larger at the top and smaller at the base, towering as if about to topple. On the stone wall beneath the pagoda, Luo Rufang’s regular script in intaglio reads “Tianzhu Feng” (Heavenly Pillar Peak). There is also Qing Dynasty’s Ruan Yu, a teacher from Taihu County, whose regular script in intaglio reads “Qiankun Yi Zhu” (One Pillar of Heaven and Earth). At the base of the pagoda is a cave, with the walls inscribed in double-hook regular script by an anonymous person with the two characters “Sheng Bai” (Born White).

The environment around Buddha Temple is picturesque, with peculiar rocks, exotic scenery, and lush old bamboo covering the mountains. Ancient poetry describes it as “more serene than the Little Penglai.” Over the dynasties, literati have left behind numerous cliff inscriptions and poems of praise here, attracting countless visitors throughout the ages. In October 1982, the Taihu County People’s Government listed it as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit. In June 2012, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit by the Anhui Provincial People’s Government.

Protected Area: All clusters of stone carvings.

Construction Control Zone: 20 meters outside the protected area on all sides.

Siquan Town: Located in the northwest of Taihu County, Siquan Town is a cultural ancient town by the side of the national scenic spot Huating Lake. It is the hometown of the late Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Honorary Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, President of the Buddhist Association of China, renowned social activist, and outstanding patriotic religious leader.

Siquan Town boasts beautiful mountains and rivers, outstanding people, and abundant tourism resources. Within its territory, Huating Lake features mountains within the water and water within the mountains, a harmonious blend creating breathtaking beauty. The mountains are filled with ancient trees, lush pines, dense bamboos, cascading waterfalls, flowing springs, exotic flowers, and fragrant grasses. Attractions include “Camel Peak,” “Heavenly Pillar Pagoda,” … More details about Siquan Town++

Further Reading:

· The Fifth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Anqing City