Cao Cao's Martial Arts Platform

Cao Cao's Martial Arts Platform

The 1915 edition of the Revised Mengcheng County Annals · Construction Records · Historical Sites states: "Cao Cao's Martial Arts Platform is located about half a li east of the county, commonly known as Cao Cao's Tomb."

In the early years of the Republic of China, remnants of Cao Cao's Martial Arts Platform still existed. Due to the passage of time, the platform had turned into an earthen mound, hence it was commonly referred to as a tomb.

When was the Martial Arts Platform built? The 1914 edition of the Revised Mengcheng County Annals · Military Records records: "In the 14th year of the Jian'an era (209 AD), Cao Cao led naval forces from the Sui River into the Huai River."

The 13th year of Jian'an

(208 AD), in order to unify the south, Cao Cao personally led an army of 200,000 men (claimed to be 800,000) southward to seize Jingzhou. After the defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao built the Martial Arts Platform along the Sui River to train his navy,

According to the county annals, the location described as "half a li east of the county" in the early years of the Republic of China corresponds to the banks of the Sui River. Therefore, Cao Cao's Martial Arts Platform was likely built when Cao Cao directed his navy from the Sui River into the Huai River — that is, in the 14th year of Jian'an (209 AD), nearly 1,800 years ago.

The 1915 edition of the Revised Mengcheng County Annals · Miscellaneous Records includes two poems about Cao Cao's Martial Arts Platform. One is titled "Wei Wu Terrace," written by Ren Lianyuan, a tribute student from Mengcheng during the Qing Yongzheng era. The poem reads:

Anciently hailed as Cao Mengde,

A hero in chaotic times.

The feminine denotes a woman’s resolve,

The masculine, a man’s noble spirit.

It is because he embodied both

That his name and fame endured throughout his life.

He studied and built a retreat,

Went hunting east of Qiao.

Rising first as a colonel,

He sought to defeat rebels and establish merit.

But alas, he encountered the Jian'an Emperor,

Whose court discipline withered like overgrown thickets.

Treacherous ministers seized control of the Han dynasty,

He was the first to raise arms in righteous rebellion.

Though the imperial court was exiled,

The Mandate was not entirely extinguished.

Who would have thought he would hold the Son of Heaven hostage,

And bestow arrows to draw the bow?

His power gradually grew strong,

And he walked with sword and shoes into the hall.

The poem shows that at the time, Cao Cao’s Martial Piazza was not only a place for visitors to climb and reflect, but people could also find “broken spears” on the sandy ground after a light rain.

Cao Cao (July 18, 155 – March 15, 220), courtesy name Mengde, also known as Ji Li, and nicknamed A Man, was a Han Chinese from Qiao Commandery, Pei State (present-day Bozhou, Anhui Province). He was a renowned military strategist, statesman, and poet in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the founder and principal architect of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period. Later, he became King of Wei. After his son Cao Pi ascended to the throne, he was posthumously honored as Emperor Wu of Wei.

Cao Cao’s grandfather, Cao Teng, held an official position during the reign of Emperor Huan of Han and was granted the title of Marquis of Feiting. It is said that his father, Cao Song, had an unclear background. In the “Records of the Three Kingdoms: Annals of Emperor Wu,” it is stated that “his origins and background could not be clearly verified.” Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty scholar Pei Songzhi... More details about Cao Cao ++