Cliff Inscriptions at Biluo Cave

Cliff Inscriptions at Biluo Cave

The cliff inscriptions at Biluo Cave are a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

Hidden within Baojing Palace in Baojing Town, Yingde, Guangdong, the Biluo Cave houses the largest collection of cliff inscriptions in northern Guangdong. These carvings have remained remarkably well-preserved over the centuries. Among the inscribed writings are those by the great Song Dynasty literary master Su Dongpo, as well as by Emperor Liu Sheng of the Southern Han Dynasty’s Mingxiao reign, who not only built a temporary imperial palace here but also inscribed the rock walls himself. Legend has it that the alchemist Ge Hong also practiced Taoist alchemy in this cave. These historical figures, cultural relics, and legendary tales give Biluo Cave an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

The Tang to Republican-era cliff inscriptions at Biluo Cave in Yingde are located on Yanzhiyan Mountain in Qiaoxia Administrative District, Yingcheng County, Yingde. Biluo Cave is a natural limestone karst cave surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has attracted visitors who came to admire the scenery, compose poetry, and carve inscriptions as mementos. Above the cave entrance, on the sheer cliff face, the three large characters "Biluo Cave" (碧落洞) are engraved both horizontally and vertically. During the Tang Dynasty, Zhou Kui, who referred to himself as a late-Tang court official, visited the cave with Hou Zhu, the magistrate of Zhenyang County (the former name of Yingde County). After their visit, Zhou Kui wrote “The Account of a Difficult Arrival” (《到难篇》), which he had inscribed on the cave wall, making it the earliest known poetic inscription. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Liu Sheng, ruler of the Southern Han Dynasty, visited the cave while inspecting Yingzhou and ordered his attendant Zhong Yunzhang to compose and inscribe “The Record of the Coiling Dragon Imperial Chamber” (《盘龙御室记》) on the stone. Most of these two cliff inscriptions have peeled away over time, making the characters difficult to discern. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the renowned literary figure Su Dongpo, who was returning north in the third year of Yuanyou (1100 AD) with his young son, passed through Yingzhou and visited Biluo Cave. He composed two poems titled “Biluo Cave” (《碧落洞》), one of which was inscribed on the cave wall and can still be seen today. Originally, there were 102 cliff inscriptions at Biluo Cave; 99 remain, including two from the Tang Dynasty, 57 from the Song Dynasty, four from the Ming Dynasty, eight from the Qing Dynasty, two from the Republican era, and 20 of undetermined date or with illegible text. The inscriptions at Biluo Cave span from the second year of the Changqing era of the Tang Dynasty (822 AD) to the 19th year of the Republican era (1930 AD), covering a period of 1,108 years. They are not only ancient but also diverse in style and rich in content, featuring famous poems and lyrics as well as travel notes and inscribed names. Today, most of the inscriptions are well-preserved.

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

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units