Chibi Cliffside Stone Carvings

Chibi Cliffside Stone Carvings

The Chibi Cliffside Stone Carvings are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

On the cliffs overlooking the river at Chibi Jetty, there are stone carvings of the two characters “赤壁” (Chibi), each measuring 150 cm in length and 104 cm in width. It is said that Zhou Yu, after defeating Cao Cao, was inspired and spontaneously carved them with his sword. However, based on an analysis of the calligraphy style, they are believed to have been written by —. The Northern Song Dynasty literatus Xie Dieshan once passed by this place. In the preface to his “Poem on Chibi,” he wrote: “I traveled from Jiangxia up the Dongting River. As my boat passed through Puyi, I saw the characters ‘Chibi’ carved on a rock. The northern bank is called Wulin. To this day, local farmers plowing the fields often dig up arrowheads over a foot long, or broken spear and halberd shafts. There is no doubt that this is the site where Zhou Yu defeated Cao Cao’s army.” During the Ming Dynasty, Wang Feng happened to pass by Chibi and inscribed two quatrains on the rocks: “The Chibi cliffs overlook the great river; here Zhou Yu defeated Cao’s general. Heaven had already decided the outcome of the Three Lords; alas, how arrogant the hero who overestimated himself. Cao Cao’s ambition was truly to devour Wu, but Heaven refused to fulfill his plan. Eight hundred thousand naval troops marched eastward, yet before Chibi Mountain, not one flame remained.” In the year Hongwu Jiyou (1385), Cao Junting traveled by boat to Chibi and discovered the stone carvings from the Song and Ming dynasties, leaving behind his own inscription: “This is the Chibi where Zhou Yu defeated Mengde. Zizhan and later generations only know of Huangzhou’s Chibi…”

Above the two characters “Chibi” is the character “鸾” (luán), a Taoist symbol. According to the *Journey to the East* (*Dongyou Ji*) by Ming Dynasty author Fang Ruhao, all enlightened beings ride on green luans and travel across the four seas. The carving of the “luan” character here serves to suppress demons. During the Battle of Chibi, the bodies of Cao Cao’s hundreds of thousands of soldiers were buried in the river, and their spirits lingered, wailing sadly in the river at night. By carving this symbol, their vengeful ghosts could be driven away. In Chapter 51 of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Xue Xiaomei wrote a poem titled “Nostalgia for Chibi,” which reads: “Chibi lies sunken, the waters still flow not, leaving only names to drift on empty boats. The clamor of a time now cold in the mournful wind—countless heroes wander within.” This can serve as indirect evidence of this meaning.

In May 2013, the Chibi Cliffside Stone Carvings were listed as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units