Xiaoyao Rock Cliff Carvings

Xiaoyao Rock Cliff Carvings

The Xiaoyao Rock Cliff Carvings are a cultural heritage site protected by Yuancheng District.

The Xiaoyao Rock Cliff Carvings are located on the cliff face of Shijia Mountain, one kilometer south of Yuancheng Town, Heyuan City. Xiaoyao Rock is crescent-shaped. On the left side of the cave entrance, there is a rectangular carved surface on the stone cliff, measuring 1.6 meters in height and 0.5 meters in width. It features three running script characters “Xiaoyao Rock” (逍遥岩), each 0.40 meters in size, inscribed in intaglio. The signature reads: “Yasong, written for the rock dwelling owner Qiu Yu.” The strokes are vigorous and forceful, and the inscriptions remain well-preserved to this day. On the right side of the cave entrance, there is also a fragmentary poem inscription, but due to weathering and erosion, the characters have become blurred and unclear. According to Ruan Yuan’s Guangdong General Annals · Epigraphy Synopsis and Volume Fourteen of the Heyuan County Annals, Xiaoyao Rock was initially developed as a scenic spot by He Tianyin, a Jinshi (imperial scholar) of Heyuan during the Song Dynasty, and later expanded and refined by Qiu Yu, an official from Jiangnan during the Ming Dynasty.

In 1986, the People's Government of Heyuan County designated it as a cultural heritage protection unit.