Anti-Japanese Stone Carvings on Sizhou Mountain

Anti-Japanese Stone Carvings on Sizhou Mountain

The Anti-Japanese Stone Carvings on Sizhou Mountain are a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province.

Anti-Japanese Stone Carvings on Sizhou Mountain

Located in Zhoujiayuan Village, Shengli Town, Luotian County, there are six sites scattered across Sizhou Mountain. These inscriptions were carved between 1938 and 1941 by Zhang Gan, commander of the Seventh Army under the Fifth War Zone of the Kuomintang during the Anti-Japanese War, and his aides. “Laughing at the Universe,” with each character 0.3 meters square, is arranged in a horizontal row; the upper inscription reads “Early Winter, Ji Mao Year,” and the lower inscription “Ji Gong,” with each character 0.08 meters square; all are in clerical script, surrounded by carved line frames. “Roaring Away the Japanese Menace,” with each character 0.3 meters square, is arranged in a horizontal row; the upper inscription states “The Japanese invaders thought China was a sleeping lion they could bully, little did they know the lion had awakened—its roar scattered the Japanese menace, its strike annihilated the invaders. Japanese invaders, Japanese invaders, may you die without descendants. Second Spring of Xin Si Year,” and the lower inscription “Lingzhou Ling Yaxi,” with each character 0.08 meters square; all are in relief clerical script, surrounded by carved line frames, and the whole resembles a horizontal plaque. “Occasional Lines at Tengjia Fort,” consisting of 105 characters in total, is arranged in eight horizontal lines, with each character 0.08 meters square, in running script. Above the recessed rock face in the mountain hollow, three “品”-shaped seats of varying sizes and a circular groove have been carved, beside which the two characters “Quiet Contemplation” are inscribed; below the seats, on the rock surface, is the inscription “Laughing Lion Mountain,” arranged in a horizontal row, with the upper inscription “Hey, the sleeping lion is awake, not only awake but laughing as well,” and the lower inscription “Zhang Gan, Guilin”; to the right of the seats, another rock inscription titled “Five Ancient-Style Poems on Laughing Lion Mountain” contains a total of 53 characters, arranged in six horizontal lines; further to the right, another rock bears an inscription titled “In Reverent Response to General Ji Gong’s Five Ancient-Style Poems on Laughing Lion Mountain,” with a total of 64 characters, arranged in seven horizontal lines. These carvings stand as historical testimony to the Chinese nation's heroic resistance against foreign aggression and its defense of national independence and territorial integrity. At the same time, their calligraphy, whether solemn and vigorous or round and graceful, holds significant artistic value.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units