Shigu Mountain

　　   The Stone Drums are hailed as "the greatest stone carvings in the world and the ancestors of Chinese stone carvings," and are treasured cultural relics of China. There are ten drums, each with a unique shape, and their inscriptions are mysterious, abstruse, and profound. The Stone Drums were unearthed on Shigu Mountain (now Shizuitou Village) located southeast of Baoji city proper, along the Xi-Bao South Line. The mountain slopes descend from the Jifeng Mountain Range, undulating and surging like a dragon playing in water.

　　   According to *Records of the Grand Historian*, in the late Spring and Autumn period, King You of Zhou ignited the beacon fires to amuse his favorite concubine Bao Si, only to provoke the wrath of the feudal lords, which ultimately led to his assassination by the Quanrong tribe. After King You’s death, King Ping of Zhou ascended the throne and relocated the capital to Luoyi (Luoyang). At that time, the Rong and Di tribes were rampant in the Guanzhong region and frequently clashed with the Qin, who valiantly defended the Zhou rulers. For their loyal service, the Qin leader was granted the title of feudal lord by King Ping — initially over a minor state. The first ruler, Duke Xiang of Qin, received a nominal promise from King Ping to rule the land “west of Mount Qi.” Duke Xiang led his troops in battle against the Rong and Di tribes and died in battle at Chencang in the fourth year. His successor, Duke Wen of Qin, in the third year of his reign, led 700 soldiers on an eastern “hunting” expedition. Within a year, he pushed Qin’s borders to the area near present-day Meixian County, Shaanxi. Duke Wen, who believed in divination, resolved to transition from a nomadic to a settled way of life, a process that lasted ten years. In the tenth year of his reign, he held a grand heaven-worship ceremony. In the sixteenth year, Qin triumphed in battle against the Rong, extending its territory to the Qishan area near Baoji. In the nineteenth year, a sacred object known as the “Chenbao” — or “stone of wonder” — was discovered in Baoji, becoming a “national treasure” — the Stone Drums.