Writing Rock

　　Writing Rock is situated on the south bank of Datangkou in Hetaoping, Sanjiao Village, Wenquan Township, roughly 53 kilometers northeast of the county seat. The rock stands about 20 meters tall and 46 meters wide. Ancient relics on the rock include petroglyphs, ink inscriptions, and stone carvings. The petroglyphs are mainly distributed on the middle and lower parts of the rock, with over 30 visible, though only three can be clearly identified. All three are located on the left side of the rock, about 10 meters above the ground surface. They are in earthy red color and arranged from left to right: The first is 18 cm high and 18 cm wide, depicting two standing human figures side by side, with a tiger in front of them that appears to be running. The second, 30 cm away from the first, is 14 cm high and 24 cm wide, showing three standing human figures with no hair on their heads. The third, 80 cm away from the second and positioned slightly higher than the first two, is 14 cm high and 10 cm wide, portraying a standing human figure with four tufts of hair on the head. Ink inscriptions are found mostly on the middle and lower parts of the rock, numbering in the thousands. Currently, more than ten can be clearly made out, mostly written in regular or cursive script, and were created mainly during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Among them are two poems, located about 6 meters above the ground. One reads: “This place is called Three Sisters Rock, where the river flows freely beyond. Carp leaps the Dragon Gate with might, and again you’ll see it from the left.” The other says: “When three literati friends composed verse, who wouldn’t want to share their inner world? The beautiful scenery is too vast to take in all at once, so I put down my brush and bid this place farewell.” On the left is inscribed: “Three Friends’ Occasional Ancient Record.” In addition, on the left part of the rock, about 1.8 meters above the ground, there is a set of clear ancient Yi script ink inscriptions, the content of which remains to be studied. Stone carvings are located in the middle of the rock, about 2 meters above the ground. There are two carvings in total, both carved after leveling the rock surface, placed side by side with a gap of 6 cm between them. The left one is 60 cm wide and 40 cm high, with the heading “Namo Amitabha” (Homage to Amitabha) in six characters; the main text is weathered and illegible. The right one is 20 cm wide and 30 cm high, with the heading “Amitabha” in four characters, and the main text is also unclear.