Guan Yu Blocks Cao Cao

Guan Yu Blocks Cao Cao

Introduction On the waist of Shangsheng Peak stand two upright rocks resembling humans, facing each other up and down. The upper one has an unusual pine tree growing from its top, shaped like a helmet tassel, giving it the appearance of a dignified and heroic warrior. The lower one wears a flat-topped official hat and a robe, with a panicked expression, resembling a civil official. This evokes the scene in the novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* where Guan Yu blocks Cao Cao at Huarong Pass, hence the name “Guan Yu Blocks Cao Cao.” Viewed from afar, “Guan Yu” stands above, majestic and valiant, while “Cao Cao” is at a disadvantage, seemingly bowing in entreaty. The two extraordinary rocks are vividly lifelike, forming a naturally exquisite scenic sight. A poem reads: “Steadily seated before the peak, sword in hand, / For a thousand years in the mountain staging the block. / The tassel on his helmet stirs in the wind, / While his flowing beard dances with the clouds.” 　

Anhui Huangshan City

Guan Yu (162?–220), of Han ethnicity, was born during the Yanxi era of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His courtesy name was Yunchang, originally Changsheng. He was from Xieliang in Hedong (present-day Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). He was a renowned general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, serving as General of the Vanguard and Marquis of Hanshou, as well as a military strategist. After his death, he was revered by the people and honored through successive dynasties’ ennoblements, eventually being worshipped as the God of Martial Righteousness (Guangong), referred to as Sangharama Bodhisattva in Buddhism, and respectfully called “Lord Guan.” Later rulers elevated him as the “Martial Saint,” placing him on par with Confucius, the “Literary Saint.”

Following Liu Bei

Guan Yu’s original courtesy name was Changsheng, later changed to Yunchang. In his early years, after being involved in some trouble, he fled his hometown to You… More details about Guan Yu ++