Guan Yu Blocks Cao Cao

　　Introduction    On the waist of Shangsheng Peak, two upright rocks stand like human figures, facing each other up and down. The upper one has peculiar pine growing from its top, resembling a helmet tassel, looking like a valiant warrior with an imposing manner; the lower one wears a flat-topped official hat, dons official robes, and appears flustered, resembling a civil official. This scene is associated with the episode in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms where Guan Yu blocks Cao Cao at Huarong Pass, hence named “Guan Yu Blocks Cao Cao.” From a distance, “Guan Yu” sits above, majestic and mighty, while “Cao Cao” is at a disadvantage, seemingly bowing to plead. The two extraordinary rocks are vivid in both form and spirit, forming a naturally splendid sight. A poem reads: “Steadfastly seated before the peak, sword in hand, / For a thousand years in the mountain enacting the block. / Helmet tassel atop seems stirred by wind, / Flowing beard dances along with drifting clouds.”     　   

　　 Huangshan City, Anhui

　　Guan Yu (162～220)　　Guan Yu (162?–220), of Han ethnicity. Born during the Yanxi era of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, courtesy name Yunchang, original courtesy name Changsheng, hailing from Xieliang, Hedong (present-day Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). He was a renowned general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, serving as General of the Vanguard, Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and a military strategist. After his death, he was revered by the people and honored by successive dynasties, worshipped as Guan Shengdi Jun, referred to as Sangharama Bodhisattva in Buddhism, and respectfully called “Guan Gong.” Later rulers revered Guan Yu as the “Martial Saint,” equal in stature to Confucius, the “Civil Saint.” Following Liu Bei Guan Yu’s original courtesy name was Changsheng, later changed to Yunchang. In his early years, after being involved in some trouble, he fled his hometown to Zhuojun in Youzhou (present-day Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province). In the first year of Zhongping... Details+