Jing Shi Yu

Jing Shi Yu

Jing Shi Yu is located northeast of Doumu Palace on Mount Tai, accessible via a branching mountain path. Pass by Shuyu Bridge, Gaoshan Liushui Pavilion, and Shenling Bridge to reach it. Within the valley lies a gentle sloping stone platform inscribed with the Diamond Sutra in clerical script, commonly known as the "Sunning Scripture Stone," which Wan Gong of the Ming Dynasty’s Longqing era inscribed as "Exposed Scripture Stone."

The Diamond Sutra carving at Jing Shi Yu, located northeast of Doumu Palace, is the largest extant Buddhist scripture cliff engraving in China. Carved on a gently sloped stone platform spanning 2,064 square meters, the sutra is inscribed from east to west in the Later Qin Kumarajiva translation, originally one volume, 32 sections, and 5,172 characters. The carving includes only up to section 15, “Special Merit of the Scripture,” comprising 44 lines with 125 or 10 characters per line, totaling 2,799 characters, each about 50 cm in size. After over a thousand years of weathering, mountain floods, trampling by visitors, and excessive rubbing, more than half of the inscription has been eroded or worn away. Currently, only 41 lines and 1,069 characters remain (including identifiable fragments and outlined characters).

The carving bears no date or record of the engraver. Ming dynasty’s Wang Shizhen believed that “though it’s said to be written by Wang Xizhi, that’s not the case; however, the brushwork is ancient and vigorous—such skill could not have come from just anyone.” Ming dynasty’s Sun Kehong, in his *Catalogue of Ancient and Modern Stone Inscriptions*, noted: “Upon examining the brush technique, it matches that of the Wei Ziqin scriptures carved in Northern Qi at Zou County—they are undoubtedly by the same hand, likely also Wei’s work.” Qing dynasty’s Nie Jianguang, in *Records of Mount Tai Routes*, recorded: “During the Northern Qi’s Wuping era, Liangfu County Magistrate Wang Zichun, fond of Buddhist scriptures, once carved two stone sutras at Mount Culai along with the names of various Buddhas. The script was wonderfully unique, seemingly by the same hand. This scripture was likely also his work.” The February 1989 issue of *Calligraphy* magazine featured an article by Wang Enli and Lai Fei titled *Preliminary Investigation and Research on the Tieshan (Stone Hymn)*, suggesting that this carving and the Tieshan cliff inscriptions in Zoucheng were done by the same person—the character size, script style, and overall aesthetics are extremely consistent, leading to the conclusion that it was written by the Eastern Ridge monk An Daoyi.

None of the above theories are definitive. Judging by the brushwork and style, it is suspected to be the work of someone from the Northern Qi period. Historical records indicate: Buddhism spread rapidly after being introduced to China in the late Western Han Dynasty, flourishing over 300 years through the Eastern Han and Western Jin Dynasties, and reached Mount Tai by the Eastern Jin Dynasty. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism and Taoism thrived. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou, aware of the monastic threat to the state, issued an edict to suppress Buddhism in the third year of the Jianyu era (574 AD). In the sixth year of Jianyu, the Northern Zhou conquered the Northern Qi, yet Emperor Wu still ordered the eradication of Buddhism within the Qi territory.

This marks one of the so-called “Four Obstacles” in Buddhism, which is why the scripture carving at Jing Shi Yu was discontinued. Here, you can also see the last few dozen outlined double-traced characters of the fifteenth line, only showing their basic outlines. As a result, the entire carving lacks any signature, leaving behind an eternal mystery for later generations.

Time Needed

1 hour

Transportation

[External Transportation]

1. Take bus routes 14, 19, 45, k37, k3, or k49 and get off at Hongmen Station to reach the Hongmen entrance of Mount Tai.

2. Take bus routes 19, k37, k39 inner loop, k39 outer loop, k3, or k49 and get off at Tianwai Village Station to reach the Tianwai Village entrance of Mount Tai.

3. Take bus route 19 and get off at Tianzhufeng Scenic Area Station to reach the Tianzhufeng entrance.

4. Take bus routes k16 or k49 and get off at Taohuayu Station to reach the Taohuayu entrance.

[Internal Transportation]

Accessible on foot within the scenic area.

Ticket

Included in the Mount Tai scenic area ticket.

Opening Hours

All day

Location

Northeast of Doumu Palace, Mount Tai Scenic Area, Tai’an City, Shandong Province

Dai Temple on Mount Tai

Mount Tai’s Eighteen Bends

Tianwai Village

Heaven Street on Mount Tai

Confucius’ Ascension Spot

Fanzi Cliff

Dai Temple Archway

Suicide Cliff at Mount Tai

Doumu Palace

Cloud Step Bridge

Mid-heaven Gate

Cypress Cave