Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway

Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway

The Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

The Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway is located in Liubridge, Yuanba District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province.

The Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway was built in the 11th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1806 AD) as a Chastity and Filial Piety Memorial Archway commissioned by “imperial decree to commend” Lady Lv Hou. The structure includes four stories, four pillars, three gates, eight drums, eight niches, twelve upturned corners, and six rolled corners. It is 8.36 meters high and has a total width of 5.91 meters, including a central bay of 2.83 meters and two side bays of 1.54 meters each. The four stone pillars are flanked by drum-shaped stone blocks both at the front and back, each supporting a stone lion and a stone tiger. Both the central and side bays feature two horizontal stone beams, with stone panels inlaid between them. The left side bay’s panels are inscribed with the characters “Ice Clear” (front) and “Osmanthus Graceful” (back), while the right side bay’s panels bear “Jade Pure” (front) and “Orchid Fragrant” (back). The central bay’s panels are engraved with the characters “Chastity and Filial Piety” on both sides. The topmost roof projects above the inscribed plaque, which reads “Imperial Decree to Commend,” and the roof is designed in the hip-and-gable style, decorated with ridge ornaments—including six stone chi dragons—and tube-tile stone fittings. The pillars, beams, and lintels are carved with various figures of people, as well as reliefs of birds, beasts, and flowers, while the drum stones depict four lions, tigers, qilins, and unicorns each.

The horizontal beams feature 36 sets of relief carvings, including scenes such as Sun Wukong Causing Havoc in Heaven, Chang’e Flying to the Moon, the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, and Mother Leizu Picking Mulberry. There are a total of 186 carved figure sculptures across the entire archway. The eaves of the wing angles have openwork carvings depicting motifs like two dragons playing with a pearl and double phoenixes facing the sun. On July 23, 1933, the Fourth Red Army established the Jialing County Soviet in Yuanba. To propagate the political platform of the Red Army, mobilize the masses to join the army, and implement land reform, they engraved 28 slogans on the stone archway, such as “Long Live the Communist Party,” “Enlist in the Red Army,” “Equal Distribution of Land,” and “Turn the Nation Red.” These were later known as the “Red Army Memorial Archway.”

Historical Development

The Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway holds dual value—as both a historical and revolutionary relic. It not only carries the long-standing cultural heritage of feudal society, but also showcases exquisite stone carving artistry and construction techniques. Preserved intact for over 200 years, it possesses significant artistic value in both sculpture and architecture. Especially notable are the 28 Red Army stone slogans, which reflect the history of the revolutionary struggle at the time, and the spirit of the Red Army embodied within them serves as an enduring spiritual legacy and an educational resource for patriotism and revolutionary tradition. In July 1980, the Liubridge Stone Memorial Archway was designated as one of the first batch of cultural relics protection units by the People's Government of Sichuan Province.