Hongya Cliff Carvings

Hongya Cliff Carvings

The Hongya Cliff Carvings are a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangxi Province.

Era: Song to Qing Dynasties

Type: Grotto temples and rock carvings

Address: Behind the Water Plant, Wanli Village, Zhaoxian Town, Wanli District, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province

Introduction:

The Hongya Cliff Carvings are located behind the Water Plant in Wanli Village, Zhaoxian Town, Wanli District, Nanchang City, atop the Wujingyuan Stream. Also known as Hongya Danjing, they were once one of the “Ten Scenic Spots of Yuzhang.” According to historical records, Hongya Danjing was the dwelling place of Ling Lun, a musician of the Yellow Emperor. He was commanded by the emperor to “go west of the Da Xia region and north of Mount Kunlun, to cut bamboo from the mountain valleys, selecting those with evenly spaced nodes, then cut them into two sections and blow into them to create the pitch pipe for the Huangzhong tone.” Later, he came to Meiling and carved five wells at Hongya, drawing water to refine elixirs. He completed the elixir here and passed away in this immortal state. In the ninth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (589 AD), when the country was unified and provinces were established, the Yuzhang Commandery was renamed Hongzhou due to the presence of Hongya. Zhang Yun, a recluse of the Jinzhou region during the Tang Dynasty, admired Master Hongya and also came to Hongya. There are many cliff inscriptions at Hongya, some of which are still clearly legible today, including the large characters “Hongya” carved in the 6th year of the Kangxi reign (1676 AD) during the Qing Dynasty by Xiaotang Bai, and the couplet inscribed by You Qinan of Changxi in Fujian: “Twin cliffs suspend streams linked to waterfalls, a pool of living water sprays from Hongya.” There is also a carving from the Chunxi era of the Song Dynasty: “Hailing Zhou Cizhang, Gong Zhong, Ye Meiwei, in the winter of the year Yisi (1185 AD) of the Chunxi period, brought wine to visit the herb valley, lingering until dusk without noticing. Bathed in the setting sun, scooped up clear spring water, and enjoyed themselves so much they forgot to leave.” Many notable figures such as Xie Zhuang, Zhang Shangying, Ouyang Xiu, Zhou Bida, Zhang Wei, Tang Xianzu, and Yue Fei have visited Hongya. Lu Yu, the Tea Sage of the Tang Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty literary figure Ouyang Xiu, both rated the Hongya Waterfall Spring as the “Eighth Best Spring Under Heaven.”

Wanli Village: Wanli Village…… More details about Wanli Village++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units