Lidi Mountain Stone Carvings

Lidi Mountain Stone Carvings

The Lidi Mountain Stone Carvings are a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

The Lidi Mountain Stone Carvings are located in Yilong County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, and were composed and inscribed by Yan Zhenqing. With approximately seven hundred characters, they were carved in the first year of the Baoying era of the Tang Dynasty (762). Having endured a thousand years of wind, frost, snow, and rain, the cliff carvings have become largely fragmented. Currently, only three sections remain, totaling 39 characters: the first section includes twenty-two characters “德、也、然、克、舍、不、倦、尚、未、知、寝、与、食、、荐、无、何、州、大、都、度、副、大”; the second section includes eleven characters “处、置、使、入、忠、贬、邵、阳、太守、十”; the third section includes six characters “之、欢、奉、以、封、二”.

Each character is 9 cm in size. The surviving characters on the fragmented stele are vigorous, powerful, elegant, simple, and graceful, exuding a strong artistic charm, encapsulating the essence of Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphic artistry throughout his life. In addition, there are two ancient steles: one is the “Record of the Reconstruction of Yan Lugong’s Temple” stele written in the 17th year of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty (1518) by imperial censor Lu Yong, with the front side recarving the full text of Tang Geng’s “Record of Yan Lugong’s Temple” and Lu Yong’s colophon, and the back side featuring an intaglio engraving of Guanyin by Wu Daozi—solemn and dignified, and regarded as an outstanding piece among rubbings; the other is the “Record of the Reconstruction of the Lidi Mountain Loyal and Virtuous Shrine” written in the 30th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty (1850) by Li Yide, who was conferred the title of Wenlin Lang and appointed as the professor of Baoning Prefecture. In 2007, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Sichuan Province.

Protected area: 20 meters beyond the perimeter of the Lugong Archway.

Construction control zone: southeast to the Jialing River bank, northeast, northwest, and southwest to the mountain forest scenic area.