Yishan Cliff Inscriptions

Yishan Cliff Inscriptions

The Yishan Cliff Inscriptions are a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Yishan Cliff Inscriptions are located on Yishan Mountain, about 10 kilometers southeast of Zoucheng City, Shandong Province. There are over 300 inscriptions in total, among which two are cliff carvings situated at Wuhua Peak and Yaojing Cave respectively. The Wuhua Peak scripture carving is located on the “Guangfeng Jiyue” stone, with the “Manjusri Prajna Sutra” engraved on the sun-facing side. The carved surface is 2.13 meters high and 3.65 meters wide, with eleven vertical lines of ten characters each. The first line reads “Manjusri Prajna,” but due to severe weathering and erosion, only 79 characters remain. It was carved during the Northern Qi Dynasty. The Yaojing Cave carving is located on the Wulong Stone west of Yaojing Cave on the sunny side of the mountain. The carved surface is approximately 4.0 meters high and 2.65 meters wide, covering an area of about 10.6 square meters. It contains fourteen characters in seven vertical lines, with each character about 20–30 centimeters in size, featuring the “Manjusri Prajna Sutra.” There is also a title line of eleven characters above it. Due to weathering and erosion at the lower part of the carving, some parts have been damaged. It was carved during the Wuping era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (570–576 AD). In addition, Yishan Mountain preserves numerous cliff and cave inscriptions left by notable figures from the Sui, Tang, Ming, and Qing dynasties up to modern times, as well as 78 steles from the Yuan, Ming, Qing, and Republican periods.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units in Jining City