Xincheng West Hill Cliff

　　Xincheng West Hill Cliff is situated at the eastern foot of West Hill, 5 kilometers west of Chengguan Town in Xincheng County. The cliff stands 5 meters high, extends 30 meters deep, and ranges between 3 to 5 meters in width. It features both southern and northern caves that connect to each other. The stone formations inside are wildly diverse, with a visible vein of rock resembling a dragon’s spine, hence it is also called Dragon Hidden Cliff or Dragon Hidden Cave. In the past, pavilions, towers, and a Buddhist temple were built here, with Buddha statues erected inside the cave. Cliff inscriptions on the rock face include “Poem on Visiting West Hill with Preface” by Lin Yi, the magistrate of Xincheng during the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty (1094–1097) (a rubbing of the text is now housed in the Capital Library of Beijing), “Record of Meritorious Deeds at West Hill,” and “Welcoming the Sunshine Pavilion” (a poem); as well as writings from the Ming Dynasty such as “Essay on Welcoming the Sunshine Pavilion,” “Record of West Hill,” and “Visiting West Hill Temple” by Mo Yuanxiang, the Tusi official of Xincheng. Due to the vicissitudes of time, the pavilions, towers, Buddhist temple, and Buddha statues have been destroyed, and the cliff inscriptions have also been damaged. In 1984, this cliff was listed as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit.