Stone Carving of Jiang Zhaohe's难民图 (The Refugees)

Stone Carving of Jiang Zhaohe's难民图 (The Refugees)

The stone carving of Jiang Zhaohe's《The Refugees》is a protected cultural relic site of Luxian County and a patriotic education base.

This stone carving is situated on a cliff at the northeastern side of Yuchan Mountain Scenic Area in Luxian County, facing southeast from the northwest. It was completed and unveiled on April 15, 1989. The stone relief is carved from Jiang Zhaohe’s (1904–1986) timeless masterpiece《The Refugees》. Jiang Zhaohe, a native of Fangdong Town in Luxian County and born in Qingxiangzi, Longmatan District, Luzhou City, created this poignant work. The relief measures 41 meters in length and 3 meters in height, depicting over 100 figures. The original painting was completed in the autumn of 1943, spanning 26 meters in length and 2 meters in height. It portrays the tragic living conditions of people from all walks of life in war-torn areas during the Second Sino-Japanese War, revealing the harrowing scenes of suffering and death under the iron heel of Japanese invaders. It expresses the longing of people from all social strata for survival, peace, and national independence, delivering a heart-wrenching emotional impact. At the right end of the《The Refugees》stone carving stands a 3.2-meter-high, 1.7-meter-wide, and 1.35-meter-thick stone sculpture of Jiang Zhaohe, featuring a clear-lined portrait with a cigarette held between his fingers. Adjacent to it is a stone stele titled《Jiang Zhaohe and The Refugees》, measuring 3.9 meters wide, 2 meters high, and 0.56 meters thick. The reverse side of the stele is inscribed with semi-cursive calligraphy detailing Jiang Zhaohe's life and an overview of《The Refugees》. The text was originally written by his disciple Liu Xilin, mailed to Beijing where it was handwritten by Jiang’s wife Xiao Qiong, and then sent back to Luxian County for carving. In August 1999, the Luxian County People’s Government designated the stone relief of Jiang Zhaohe's《The Refugees》as part of the fourth batch of county-level protected cultural relics. In 2011, the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Sichuan Province named the《The Refugees》stone relief at Yuchan Mountain Scenic Area in Luxian County as one of the fifth batch of provincial patriotic education bases in Sichuan Province.