Guanfenyuan Stone Tablet and Jiufeng Bridge

　　The Guanfenyuan Stone Tablet is located in Guanfenyuan, Baihu Village, Rongmei Town, Hefeng County. There are two tablets in total. Both are made of bluestone, with dragon head carvings and base pedestals. Each tablet is 3.1 meters tall, 0.94 meters wide, and 0.26 meters thick, surrounded by bas-relief carvings of dragons and clouds. The tops are engraved with four seal script characters “奉天诰命” (Imperial Decree from Heaven), and the main texts are in regular script. The right tablet was erected in the second year of the Chongzhen reign during the Ming Dynasty (1629), containing 15 lines and 468 characters. It is an imperial decree by Emperor Chongzhen, posthumously honoring Xuanwu General Tian Chuchan. The left tablet was erected in the 23rd year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1684), inscribed with an imperial text by Emperor Kangxi, consisting of 14 lines and 257 characters. It records the ennoblement and promotions of Tian Shunian, the chieftain of the Rongmei Tusi, and praises the merits of his ancestors. The Jiufeng Bridge is situated north of Qianqiao Village, Rongmei Town, Hefeng County. It was built in the 25th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1686) by Tian Shunian, the Tusi chieftain of Rongmei. It was named after Tian’s alias “Jiufeng” (Nine Peaks). The bridge spans the ShenTan Stream from south to north. It is a single-arch stone bridge, 25.1 meters long, 4 meters wide, and with a span of 6 meters. The arch is constructed using continuous vertical joints with a single arch and a single skewback. Two stone tablets stand on the north side of the bridge, spaced 1 meter apart. Both are made of bluestone with round tops, and their inscriptions are in regular script. The front tablet is 1.31 meters tall, 0.54 meters wide, and 0.16 meters thick, with the top inscribed with four characters “彪炳千秋” (Shining Through the Ages), and the text spanning 10 lines and 421 characters, recording the bridge’s repair process. The rear tablet is 1.48 meters tall, 0.58 meters wide, and 0.31 meters thick, with three upright characters “九峰桥” (Jiufeng Bridge) in the center, and the text consisting of 4 lines and 101 characters, listing the names of those who donated to the bridge’s construction. (Third Batch)

　　Source: Hubei Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics