Inscription of Hongti Pass

Inscription of Hongti Pass

The Inscription of Hongti Pass is a cultural relic protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

Inscription of Hongti Pass

Inscription of Hongti Pass (Second Batch of Provincial-level Protected Sites)

Period: Ming Dynasty

Location: Zhongbeitan Village, Hongtipass Township, approximately 25 kilometers east of Pingshun County

The Inscription of Hongti Pass is a large stone stele, and Zhongbeitan Village is named after it. Carved in the eighth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1529), it was inscribed by Xia Yan, Minister of Rites and Junior Vice Minister of the Ministry of War during the Jiajing era. “Hongti” was originally called “Hongti” (Flood Ladder), but was renamed “Hongti” (Rainbow Ladder) because Xia Yan described it as “looking like a rainbow.”

In the eighth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1529), Pingshun County was established, along with Hongti Pass and Yuxia Pass. Xia Yan personally composed the “Inscription of Hongti Pass” and had it engraved on a stone stele. The Hongti Pass Inscription stele stands 4.6 meters tall, 2.7 meters wide, and 0.36 meters thick. The inscription consists of 199 characters, each about half a foot square, written in vigorous, forceful regular script with exquisite carving.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Provincial-level Protected Cultural Relics of Shanxi Province