Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers

　　    The Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers are located in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and were designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in May 2013. Distributed along the northern bank of the Qu River, they were carved into the red sandstone hillsides by the river. There are currently over 50 surviving chambers. They may be the remains of ancient stone quarries. The entrances to the chambers come in two types: one is carved horizontally along cliff faces and extends deep into the rock, while the other features a square opening cut into a hillside slope, leading downward. The exact era of their formation remains undetermined based on current data. Some speculate, based on carvings of insects and birds found inside the chambers, that they date back to the Han or Southern Dynasties. Zhou Dazhong of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in his poem, “The Five Giants wielded divine axes—since when were these hewn?” suggesting that the chambers were created long before his time. However, considering local social development factors, large-scale quarrying—or the formation of most of the chambers—likely occurred during and after the Song and Yuan dynasties, including their extensive use in constructing city walls and residential buildings. Today, most of the chambers are well-preserved, and some have been developed for tourism, becoming popular destinations for visitors.