Sunlight Rock Carvings

Sunlight Rock Carvings

The Sunlight Rock Carvings are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Sunlight Rock is located on the steep bank of the west side of the Xiao River, opposite the Daximen Gate in Lingling District, Yongzhou City. It is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Yongzhou. Here, springs splash against the rocks, red clouds reflect off pavilions, birds sing amid misty woods, and the scenery is enchanting. It has long been known as the "Sunrise at Sunlight."

In the second year of the Yongtai era of the Tang Dynasty (765), Yuanguan, the Prefect of Daozhou, was traveling to the capital to plan military affairs when he passed through Yongzhou. He moored his boat beneath the rock and was delighted by the beautiful landscape and the uniquely shaped cliffs. Since the mouth of the rock faces east, he named it Sunlight Rock and composed the "Inscription on Sunlight Rock" and the poem "Sunlight Rock," which were inscribed on the stone wall. After Liu Zongyuan was exiled to Yongzhou, he often visited this place and wrote the poem "Twenty Rhymes on Ascending to the West Pavilion after Visiting Sunlight Rock." Since then, the scenery of Sunlight has become widely renowned.

During his ten years in Yongzhou, Liu Zongyuan frequently came to the rock to enjoy the scenery and compose poems expressing his feelings. He wrote poems such as "Visiting Sunlight Rock and Then Ascending to the West Pavilion Twenty," "The Fisherman," and "Snow on the River." On the stone wall at the mouth of the rock, there is also an engraved copy of his poem "The Fisherman": "The fisherman spent the night by the western cliff; at dawn he drew clear water from the Xiang and lit bamboo from Chu. When the mist cleared and the sun rose, no one was to be seen—only the sound of a boatman’s horn, and the mountains and waters turned green. Looking back toward the sky where the river flows, aimless clouds drift above the rock." The "western cliff" in the line "The fisherman spent the night by the western cliff" refers to "Sunlight Rock." Huang Tingjian, He Shaoji, and others have also left poems and writings here.

On the stone walls at the entrance of the Sunlight Rock cave, there are three large characters "Sunlight Rock" inscribed by Zhang Ziliang during the Jiayou era of the Song Dynasty. The left and right walls of the cave embrace each other, forming a natural arch. Since the Tang Dynasty, many literati have left inscriptions on the walls. The famous Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty, Zhou Dunyi; the geographer of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake; and the poet and calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty, He Shaoji, all left their traces and works here.

Sunlight Rock is rich in poetic charm and can truly be called a "Poetry Rock." From ancient times to the present, countless people have written poems praising it. The Tang Dynasty poet Yuanguan moored his boat beneath the rock and wrote in praise of its splendid scenery: "Beneath Sunlight Rock, the Xiang River runs deep; at the mouth of the cave, the cold spring is clear. The city of Lingling lies along the banks of the Xiang, and the secluded, marvelous cave faces the town. Overgrown and deserted since ancient times, unseen by people, only the sages of old are remembered in Lingling. How could one envy the joy of water and rocks? I leave behind a long song to offer some solace." The Song Dynasty’s Huang Tingjian praised even more: "Stroking the stones and playing with the murmuring stream, in a moment white clouds arise, as if they would carry me to immortality." He vividly depicted the seclusion and profundity of the rocks, cliffs, streams, and springs of Sunlight Rock. Lin Boqu, a proletarian revolutionary, wrote the poem "Passing Through Yongzhou and Visiting the Western Cliff," which carries a unique sentiment: "The cave spring is cool like a clear chime; leaning on the dangerous stone railing, one listens just right. A single drop must eventually return to the sea—how many people come here and realize the meaning of life?" How much philosophy of life is contained in this poem.

It is the scenery that inspires poetry. The splendid scenery of Sunlight Rock is the soul of poetry, and the timeless masterpieces have made it the Poetry Rock of Sunlight.

In May 2013, the Sunlight Rock Carvings were listed as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units