The Inscription of Liu Pingguo Building the Pass Pavilion

The Inscription of Liu Pingguo Building the Pass Pavilion

The Inscription of Liu Pingguo Building the Pass Pavilion is a cultural tourism attraction.

Introduction This is a rock located at the mouth of Bozakrak Gully, about 150 kilometers northeast of Baicheng County in Aksu, Xinjiang. It protrudes just over a foot from the ground and bears an intaglio script in clerical style, with 101 Chinese characters still visible. The inscription mainly records how Liu Pingguo, the Left General of Kucha, led six people—Qin people (Han people) including Meng Baishan, Di Hupin, and Zhao Dangbei—to chisel the rock here and build a pavilion to monitor travelers, as well as constructing a pass fortress to the east. The inscription dates back to the fourth year of the Yongshou era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (158 AD).

Nearby the stone carving, there are remnants of a Han-era stone fortification, and on the plains outside the gully lie ruins of an ancient city. Close to this inscription, there is also an engraving that reads “Dunhuang’s Chunyu Bo created this inscription.” This site was likely one of the important thoroughfares connecting southern Xinjiang to the Ili River Valley during the Han Dynasty.

Aksu City, Xinjiang