Cliff Inscriptions on Shitou Mountain

Cliff Inscriptions on Shitou Mountain

The cliff inscriptions on Shitou Mountain are a cultural relic protection unit of Cangshan District.

Cliff Inscriptions on Shitou Mountain

Located on Shitou Mountain in Shishan Village, Chengmen Town, Cangshan District, there were originally 15 cliff inscriptions, but only 12 remained during the second cultural relics survey, and only four were found during the third survey—namely, the large-character inscription by Lin Chaosun, the large-character inscription “Jinxiu Valley,” the inscription by Lin Han, and the large-character inscription “First Mountain.” They are oriented 4 degrees northwest.

(1) The “Jinxiu Valley” large-character inscription is about 1.5 meters high and 1 meter wide. It consists of one vertical line of characters, with each character approximately 0.30 cm in diameter, written in seal script: the three characters “Jinxiu Valley.” Below the characters is a lotus pattern. It was inscribed by an anonymous person and is said to date back to the Qing Dynasty.

(2) The “First Mountain” large-character inscription: located on the western slope of Shitou Mountain. The cliff inscription is 2.5 meters high and 1.05 meters wide. Written in running script, it consists of one vertical line of characters, facing upward, with each character 1 meter high and 70 cm wide. The text reads: “First Mountain.” The identity of the calligrapher is unknown, and it is said to have been inscribed in the Qing Dynasty.

(3) The inscription by Lin Han is 230 cm high and 160 cm wide. Written in regular script, it has nine vertical lines of characters, each character about 12 cm in diameter. The content reads: “On the eighth day of the third month in the thirteenth year of the Zhengde era of the Great Ming (1518), Dingwei day, Lin Han, a retired Minister from our locality, led his sons: Ting’ang, a Provincial Administration Commissioner of Yunnan; Tingkai, a Commander of Fuzhou; and Xuan, his eldest grandson and an official in the Ministry of Rites. After paying respects at the ancestral graves on Zhangshan Mountain and returning, they stopped here and together watched the local farmers—both old and young—working hard in the fields transplanting rice seedlings. He sighed and said: ‘Farming is truly difficult, just as you see it here. You must not forget this.’ This record is made to pass on the lesson to future generations.”

It was designated as a district-level cultural relic protection unit in 1986.

It holds certain historical and calligraphic artistic value.

Shishan Village: Shishan Village is one of the four villages of Linpu, known for the saying “eight scholars from seven imperial examinations” and “five ministers across three generations.” It boasts numerous historic sites spanning over a thousand years of history. Existing relics include the imperial stone memorial archway of Linpu, stone arch bridges, and rock carvings at Ruiji Temple. The village currently has 618 households and a population of 2,560, with total rural economic income reaching 158.9 million yuan in 2012.

… More detailed information about Shishan Village++