Ancient Teaching Crossbow Platform

Ancient Teaching Crossbow Platform

The Ancient Teaching Crossbow Platform, also known as Cao Cao's General Commanding Platform, is located next to Xiaoyaojin Park in Hefei. It stands 5 meters high and covers an area of 3,700 square meters. There is a well on the platform, called the "Well on the Roof" because its mouth is higher than the ridges of the nearby houses. The water from this well is sweet and never runs dry throughout the year. The stone railing around the well is rustic and ancient, showing 23 grooves made by the ropes used to draw water. The stone is polished smooth and shiny like jade, and the railing is engraved with the words "Built by Xiahou Sheng, Palace Attendant General, in the fourth year of the Taishi era of the Jin Dynasty."

Cao Cao’s father was originally from the Xiahou clan, so Cao Cao is also considered to be of the Xiahou lineage. Therefore, Xiahou Sheng’s construction of this well carries the meaning of commemorating his ancestors. The Buddhist temple on the platform was first built during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties and was originally named Iron Buddha Temple. During the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Mingjiao Temple. The current temple structure was built by Yuan Hongmo, a survivor of the Taiping Rebellion, after he became a monk. It is a renowned temple in the Jianghuai region. The platform is densely planted with pine trees that cast thick shade, and when the wind blows, the rustling of the pines can be heard. Hence, there is a pavilion on the platform called the Pine-Listening Pavilion. The "Crossbow Training and Pine Shade" is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of ancient Luzhou.

Historical records state that during the Three Kingdoms period when the land was divided among Wei, Shu, and Wu, Cao Cao, ruler of Wei, visited Hefei four times. He personally directed military operations and built this high platform to train elite crossbow troops to defend against the navy of Eastern Wu. Known as the General Commanding Platform, the steep base of the platform is edged with bricks and stones. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao trained troops here to counter the naval forces of Wu, hence the name "Teaching Crossbow Platform." It was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1981.

The Pine-Listening Pavilion was where Cao Cao observed enemy movements, planned strategies, and rested. The surrounding area is filled with tall, straight pines that provide dense shade. Originally located outside the old city walls, the Teaching Crossbow Platform was later incorporated within the expanded city limits during the Song Dynasty. Despite the many trials and tribulations that Hefei has endured since then, the platform has always stood firm, becoming a historical witness to the city’s rise and fall.

Xiaoyaojin Park boasts beautiful scenery and rich cultural heritage, and it is also planted with a wide variety of rare flowers and famous trees. According to surveys, the park is home to over 180 species of plants and 10,257 trees, including many ancient and famous trees over a hundred years old such as Quercus acutissima, Platycladus orientalis, Juniperus chinensis, Ginkgo biloba, and Pinus bungeana. A Quercus acutissima tree growing 50 meters east of Beijin Bridge stands 17.2 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of 50 centimeters and a crown diameter of 16 meters from east to west, providing shade equivalent to that of four rooms. In 1980 and 1982, azaleas, camellias, and junipers gifted to the park by a visiting delegation from Kurume City, Japan, were jointly planted in the park by both sides as a symbol of lasting friendship between the two peoples.

The southern gate of the park is a nearly 10-meter-high, three-bay, memorial archway-style antique gate. Above the gate hangs an elegantly antique plaque inscribed with the four gilded characters “Ancient Xiaoyaojin,” written by Lu Runxiang, the top scholar of the Qing Dynasty and tutor to Emperor Puyi of the Qing Dynasty. Upon entering the park, the first sight is a bronze statue of Zhang Liao on horseback, holding a spear. The statue is 5 meters tall, and the base bears the inscription “Mighty Fame at Xiaoyaojin.”