Cixiaogou "Imperial Timber Harvesting" Cliff Inscription

Cixiaogou "Imperial Timber Harvesting" Cliff Inscription

The Cixiaogou "Imperial Timber Harvesting" Cliff Inscription is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Cixiaogou "Imperial Timber Harvesting" Cliff Inscription is located on the western wall of the stone cliffs in Cixiaogou, Cifeng Village, Eping Township, Zhuxi County. It was carved in the 17th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1558). The rock face bears three poems, with characters around three inches in size, covering an area of approximately 0.8 square meters. These inscriptions recount the historical fact of nanmu being felled in this locality during the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing during the Jiajing period (1522–1566) of the Ming Dynasty. The cliff poem reads: "Gathering imperial timber, we enter this secluded valley; seeking it, we find none. Gathering imperial timber, we enter this secluded valley; seeking it, we find it. We present it as if it were jade. Now that the timber is found, the village thrives; now that the palace stands completed, the empire is secured. The seventh day of the fifth month in the wu year of Jiajing, composed by Magistrate Liao Xikui of Guanghua County, transcribed by Clerk Qu Hua of Huating."

The Cixiaogou "Imperial Timber Harvesting" Cliff Inscription preserves its original historical appearance and provides physical evidence for the study of the construction history and material sourcing of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Particularly, as nanmu is now an endangered species, the inscription offers rare historical data regarding its original growth conditions and regional distribution.

In 2006, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Eping Township: Located at the southern foot of the Longwangya Mountain Range, Eping Township is 24 kilometers from the county seat (this distance can be shortened by 6.9 kilometers after the completion of the Longwangya Tunnel). It is traversed by two provincial highways: Xingjie and E’Hong. The township borders Jiangjiayuan Town, Zhongfeng Town, Biaohu Forest Farm, Longwangya Tea Farm, Tianchiya Forest Farm, Huiwan Township, Quanxi Town, Bagualin Forest Farm within the county, as well as Zhenping and Pingli counties in Shaanxi Province.

The township administers 19 villages, 66 villager groups, with 2,658 households and a population of 9,411, including 5,442 laborers. Among them, there are 9,264 agricultural residents and 147 non-agricultural residents. The area details... Eping Township Detailed Information++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units