Cliff Inscriptions at Zhongguyan in Nanxiong

Cliff Inscriptions at Zhongguyan in Nanxiong

The Cliff Inscriptions at Zhongguyan in Nanxiong are a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

Cliff Inscriptions at Zhongguyan in Nanxiong

Tang–Song Dynasties, Nanxiong. The Zhongguyan Cliff Inscriptions are located in Cuiping Mountain, Meiling Town, Nanxiong City. Zhongguyan gets its name from the hanging rocks known as Bell Rock and Drum Rock, which produce bell-like and drum-like sounds when struck. The site is adjacent to the Meiguan Pass, attracting numerous historic scholars and literati who left behind many elegant verses. There are over 20 inscribed works from the Tang Dynasty to the Republican era. The earliest inscriptions are the characters “Wanfu Cave” (Ten Thousand Blessings Cave) and “Shangqingjing” (Upper Pure Scenery), carved by Lü Yan of the Tang Dynasty (i.e., Lü Dongbin). The three large characters “Zhuxianyan” (Immortals’ Cliff) are signed “Written by Dongpo,” each character measuring 0.50 meters in height and 0.10 meters in width. Su Dongpo visited this place twice while exiled and passing through Meiguan Pass, composing several poems in commemoration. Most of the inscriptions date from the Qing Dynasty, with authors including officials, scholars, and Taoist priests. The scripts include regular script, clerical script, running script, and seal script.

After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, under public pressure for resistance against Japan, Peng Yuying, the then-county magistrate of Dayu County, Jiangxi Province, sent his representative Lu Jiongwen to hold talks here with Chen Yi, representative of the guerrilla forces in the Gan-Guang Border Area, along with others, to discuss cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the war effort.

In June 1989, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province designated it as a cultural heritage protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units