Stone Carvings on Mount Tai

Stone Carvings on Mount Tai

The stone carvings on Mount Tai are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The stone carvings on Mount Tai are located in Tai’an City, Shandong Province, and consist of two parts: the Scripture Valley and the Tang Dynasty Cliff Inscriptions.

The Scripture Valley is located in a mountain valley 400 meters northeast of Doumu Palace along the central route of Mount Tai in Tai’an City. Carved during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550–580 AD), it is the largest extant Buddhist scripture cliff carving in China. - The inscriptions are carved on a gently sloping stone flat spanning 2064 square meters, featuring 44 vertically arranged lines of the "Diamond Sutra" (Jin Gang Bo Re Bo Luo Mi Jing) from south to north, representing the upper volume. The characters are 50 cm in size, primarily in clerical script, with elements of regular script, running script, and seal script. The calligraphy is vigorous and holds significant value in the history of Chinese calligraphy. There are also over 20 stone carvings from the Song, Ming, Qing, Republic of China, and modern periods, including sutra-viewing inscriptions and poetic engravings, in the surrounding area.

The Tang Dynasty Cliff Inscriptions are located 80 meters south of the Jade Emperor Summit in Tai’an City, Mount Tai. They were carved in the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (726 AD). The cliff face is 12.3 meters high and 5.3 meters wide. The inscription consists of 24 lines with 51 characters per line, of which 1008 characters remain. Except for the four characters “Imperial Composition, Imperial Calligraphy” and the date at the end of the last line, which are in standard script, the rest are in clerical script. The calligraphy of the Tang cliff inscriptions is vigorous and rounded. The text was composed and inscribed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, during his eastern pilgrimage to Mount Tai, recounting the entire ceremony of the Fengshan sacrifice. There are also 75 other stone carvings in the vicinity from the Song, Qing, and Ming–Qing periods.

The Tang Dynasty Cliff Inscriptions on Mount Tai are carved into a natural rock face and are considered a masterpiece among imperial cliff inscriptions in China. They hold significant historical and artistic value, as well as profound cultural meaning, in aspects such as imperial Fengshan history, calligraphy artistry, and carving craftsmanship. In 2001, the stone carvings on Mount Tai, dating from the Northern Qi to the Tang Dynasty, were included by the State Council in the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units