Pingchaliao Stele

Pingchaliao Stele

The Pingchaliao Stele is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The Pingchaliao Stele is a victory stele left by the Ming Dynasty Confucian scholar Wang Shouren (Wang Yangming) after quelling a local armed uprising in Jiangxi. It is now located in Qiyunshan Village, Sixun Township, Chongyi County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, and is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

In the mid-Ming Dynasty, local armed groups entrenched themselves in the remote mountainous areas of Jiangxi, causing unrest for decades without resolution. The imperial court appointed Wang Yangming as the regional inspector of Southern Jiangxi and Jiangxi. In October of the 12th year of the Zhengde era (1517), Wang Yangming led troops to suppress the rebellions at Tonggang and Hengshui, wiping out the local armed forces led by Xie Zhishan (also known as Xie Zhishan). He had a stele erected to commemorate the victory, inscribing the "Pingchaliao Stele" on a massive rock at Chaliao (present-day Qiyunshan Village, Sixun Township, Chongyi County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province), a strategic location in Tonggang.

The "Pingchaliao Stele," commonly referred to as the "Chaliao Stele," is located on the rock face of Sixun Township, Chongyi County, Jiangxi Province. It stands 8.4 meters high and 4 meters wide, and has a history of over 500 years, attracting numerous visitors through the ages. On the western side of the stele are three large regular script characters carved in stone reading “Jigongyan” (Rock of Merit). On the eastern side are two cursive script poems inscribed by Wang Yangming. Both are authentic works of Wang Yangming, showcasing his remarkable calligraphic skill.

In 1997, the Pingchaliao Stele was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province. It is currently the only provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in Chongyi County and is being prepared for application as a national-level cultural relic protection unit of China.

Original inscription on the stone:

In the Dingchou year of the Zhengde era, Yao bandits rose in great numbers, throwing the regions of Jiang, Guang, Hu, and Chen into turmoil for three to four years. Thereupon, the emperor ordered a joint campaign by the three provinces. In October, on the day of Xin Hai, I led the troops of Jiangxi from Nankang. On the day of Jia Yin, we captured the strongholds at Hengshui and Zuoxi; the bandits were defeated and fled. On the days of Geng and Xin, they regrouped — the bandits retreated to Tonggang. In November, on the day of Gui You, we attacked Tonggang and fought fiercely at the western hills. On the day of Jia Chou, another battle ensued, and the bandits were utterly routed. On the day of Ding Hai, we joined forces with the Hunan troops at Shangzhang and annihilated them all. In total, we destroyed 84 strongholds, large and small, captured and executed over 2,000, and took 3,600 captives. We released over 1,000 who had been coerced into joining, allowing them to return home and resume their livelihoods. We assessed the land for resettlement, cut through mountains, and opened roads to eliminate dangers and obstacles. On the day of Xin Chou, the army returned. Alas, weapons are instruments of misfortune, to be used only when there is no other choice. This inscription on the rock of Chaliao is not to glorify success, but to underscore the gravity of the campaign. Written by Wang Shouren, Grand Coordinator and Censor-in-Chief in charge of military affairs. Supervising Censor Tu Qiao, Deputy Commissioner in charge of the campaign Yang Zhang, Consultant Huang Hong, Troop Commander Xu Qing, Defense Commander Jia Wen, Prefects Xing Xun, Wu Wendeng, Ji [character missing], Tang Chun, Magistrates Wang Tianyu, Zhang Jian. Attending Commanders Ming De, Feng Xiang, Feng Tingrui, Xie Chang, Yu En, Yao Xi, Assistant Prefect Zhu Xian, Magistrate Xu Wenying, Wei Shou, Magistrate Huang Wenyue, Deputy Magistrate Shu Fu, Commanders Gao Rui, Chen Wei, Guo Lin, Lin Jie, Meng Jun, Si Tai, Yin Lin, and others, including Recorder Wang Dejin, Clerk Hang Cheng, Constables Liang Yi, Zhang Chun, and selected officials Lei Ji, Xiao Yu, Guo Xu, Rao Bao, totaling over a hundred individuals.

Qiyunshan Village: Qiyunshan Village... More details about Qiyunshan Village++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangxi Province