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Final Exam

The Foremost Cliff Inscriptions Site of Southern China — WuXi Forest of Steles

WuXi Forest of Steles is located in the Wuxi Park at the southern end of the Xiangjiang Bridge in the southwest of Qiyang City, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. Now there are 505 steles engraved from the Tang Dynasty to the Republic of China (1912-1949), including four inscriptions given by envoys from Vietnam during the Qing Dynasty. The core attraction there is the “Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty《大唐中兴颂》”stele, which was written by Yuan Jie in the Tang Dynasty and inscribed by Yan Zhenqing. Other outstanding inscriptions include Mi Fu’s “Poem on Wuxi《浯溪诗》” from the Song Dynasty, Huang Tingjian’s “Inscription on the Cliff Steles《书摩崖碑石》”, and inscriptions by He Shaoji and others from the Qing Dynasty. Among them, 23 steles have been included in the “First Batch of Ancient Famous Steles and Inscriptions List” by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Origin

WuXi Forest of Steles, known as The Foremost Cliff Inscriptions Site of Southern China, was not built overnight. Instead, it originated from the interest of a man of letters（文人）. Through continuous accumulation over the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, it eventually became a magnificent spectacle.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (the ninth emperor of the Tang Dynasty), Yuan Jie was the governor of Daozhou (a place in ancient China). While passing through this place, he was attracted and amazed by the extraordinary scenery of the rocks along the Xiangjiang River. Hence, he settled here. Then he named an unknown stream “WuXi” (meaning “my stream”) and built “Wu Platform” and “Wu Pavilion”, collectively known as “Three Wu”, expressing his desire to retire and enjoy the natural beauty. Later, Yuan Jie had the “WuXi Inscription”, “Wu Platform Inscription”, and “Wu Pavilion Inscription” (collectively known as “Three Inscriptions”) and invited three calligraphers to engrave them on the rocks. This was the first work of the cliff inscriptions at WuXi.

Development

The Song Dynasty was a golden age for the development of the WuXi Forest of Steles. The outstanding calligrapher Huang Tingjian once was sent to Yizhou (a place in ancient China) and passed through WuXi on his way. He deeply studied the “Yuan’s writing” and “Yan’s inscription”, and wrote the Inscription on the Cliff Steles《书摩崖碑石》 filled with historical contemplation and engraved it on the stone. This action triggered a huge “star effect”, attracting many people to go here. More than 200 famous officials and scholars such as Mi Fu, Qin Guan, Li Qingzhao, Zhang Lei, Fan Chengda, and Yang Wanli successively arrived, wrote poems and essays, and engraved the steles on the cliff. They either praised history, discussed calligraphy, or recorded travels, forming a “thousand-year poetry gathering” and “stone carving forum” with the theme of the “Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty”.

There were relatively few inscriptions in the Yuan Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, more records of traveling emerged, and local officials began to consciously organize and protect these inscriptions. In the Qing Dynasty, this forest of stele reached the second peak after the Song Dynasty.

Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty

“Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty《大唐中兴颂》”is the soul and foundation of the WuXi Forest of Steles. It is precisely this inscription that transformed this natural scenic spot into a thousand-year-old cultural holy site. It is not only a masterpiece of literature and calligraphy art, but also a carrier of historical contemplation.

This inscription was composed by Yuan Jie, a literary figure of the Tang Dynasty, and was written by the renowned calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. It was engraved on a stone in the sixth year of the Dali era of the Tang Dynasty (771 AD). The stele is about 3 meters in height and width, with 21 lines of text, approximately 20 characters per line, 332 characters in total. The content mainly praises the achievements of the Tang Dynasty in restoring its prosperity after the upheaval by the An Shi Rebellion《安史之乱》(755-763). Yuan Jie himself experienced the insurrection and participated in the quelling of the rebellion, so he had a particularly deep feeling about the rejuvenation of the country. Due to this, he deliberately had the article engraved, not only to record this feat but also to express his wish for the country’s long-term stability and return to a peaceful and prosperous era.

Modern Advancement

In modern times, the WuXi Forest of Steles has received excellent protection and advancement as well.

In December 2024, the scenic area completed the world’s first cliff carvings digital experience hall, which is divided into three exhibition areas: “Millions of Years何千万年”, “Cliff and Heaven石崖天齐”, and “Carvable and Engraved可磨可镌”. It uses holographic projection and interactive screens to vividly display the steles such as “Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty”. A “cliff carvings database” has also been established here, preserving digital images of over 300 steles.

The scenic area has also launched the “Digital Revitalization Plan for Chinese Stone Inscriptions and Carvings”, using digital technology to restore all the characters with incision depths exceeding 0.01 millimeters, making the ancient marks clear once again. Inside the museum, there is a “Stone Inscription Visiting Passage” and digital experience spaces in the styles of the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. Tourists can personally try digital rubbing, “cloud tour” the eight scenic spots of Wuxi through the screen, and so on, with a strong sense of interaction. Moreover, in September 2024, 16 precious rubbing copies of cliff carvings from the scenic area were sent to the National Museum of China for exhibition, allowing more people to appreciate the charm of the Wuxi Forest of Steles .

Terms

The Foremost Cliff Inscriptions Site of Southern China 南国摩崖第一家 WuXi Forest of Steles 浯溪碑林 Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty《大唐中兴颂》 First Batch of Ancient Famous Steles and Inscriptions List 《第一批古代名碑名刻文物目录》

Questions

1.What is the most attraction inscription in WuXi Forest of Steles?

2.Who comes up with the name "WuXi"?

3.Who write “Ode to the Revival of the Tang Dynasty”?

4.Why so many men of letters go the the WuXi Forest of Steles in Song Dynasty?

References

[1]胡子特. 浯溪碑林摩崖石刻书法研究[D]. 广西师范大学: 2025

[2]刘潇. 浯溪碑林越南使节题刻考[J]. 书法: 2025(05)

南国摩崖第一家——浯溪碑林

浯溪碑林景区，位于湖南省永州市祁阳市西南部湘江大桥南端的浯溪公园内，为国家4A级旅游景区，现存唐代至民国碑刻505方，包括清代越南使者留下的刻石四块。 核心景观为唐代元结撰文、颜真卿书写的《大唐中兴颂》碑，还有宋代米芾《浯溪诗》、黄庭坚《书摩崖碑石》及清代何绍基等人的题刻。其中有23方入选国家文物局《第一批古代名碑名刻文物名录》的石刻。

起源

被誉为南国摩崖第一家的浯溪碑林，并非一朝一夕建成，而是源于一次偶然的文人钟情，历经唐宋元明清各代的不断层积，最终蔚为大观。

唐代宗（唐朝第九位皇帝）时，元结在道州刺史任上途经此地，被湘江畔一片奇异的石群风光吸引，于是定居于此。他将一条无名溪流命名为“浯溪”（意为“我的溪”），建“浯台”、“浯亭”，合称“三浯”，寄托归隐山水之情。后来，元结将自己撰写的《浯溪铭》、《浯台铭》、《浯亭铭》（合称“三铭”）请三位书法家分别篆书，刻于石上，这便是浯溪摩崖的开篇之作。

发展

宋代是浯溪碑林发展的黄金时代。大书法家黄庭坚被贬宜州途经浯溪，深刻解读元颂与颜碑，写下充满历史沉思的《书摩崖碑石》并刻石。此举引发了巨大的“明星效应”。米芾、秦观、李清照、张耒、范成大、杨万里等数百位名臣文士接踵而至，题诗作文，摩崖刻石。他们或咏史，或论书，或纪游，形成了围绕《中兴颂》的“千年诗会”和“石刻论坛”。

元代题刻较少。明代出现了更多游记，地方官员开始有意识地进行整理和保护。清代：达到继宋之后的第二个高峰。

《大唐中兴颂》

《大唐中兴颂》是浯溪碑林的重要碑文，正是因为有它，这片碑林才变成了传承千年的文化宝地。它不只是一件文学和书法上的精品，更承载着深远的历史思考。

这篇铭文由唐代文学家元结撰写，由当时的书法大家颜真卿亲笔书写。它被刻在石头上是在唐大历六年（公元771年），碑身高宽都在3米左右，全文21行，每行大约20个字，总共332字。内容主要是歌颂唐朝平定“安史之乱”（755-763年）之后，国家重新振兴的功绩。元结自己亲身经历过那场战乱，还曾参与平叛工作，所以对国家的“中兴”感受特别深。正因如此，他特意刻下这篇文章，既是为了记录这份功业，也寄托了对国家长久安定、重回太平盛世的祝愿。

现代发展

浯溪碑林在今天也得到了很好的保护，还新增了不少现代玩法。景区在2024年12月建成了全球第一个摩崖石刻数字体验馆，里面分成“何千万年”“石崖天齐”“可磨可镌”三个展区，用上了全息投影和互动屏幕这些技术，把《大唐中兴颂》这些碑文活灵活现地展示出来。这里还建了一个“摩崖石刻数据库”，里面保存着300多方石刻的数字影像。

景区还启动了“中国石碑石刻数字焕活计划”，把刻痕深度超过0.01毫米的文字都用数字技术复原出来，让古老的痕迹重新变得清晰。馆里还设置了一条“访碑通道”，以及唐宋明三个朝代风格的数字体验空间。游客可以亲手尝试数字拓印、跟着屏幕“云游”浯溪八景等等，互动感十足。此外，在2024年9月，景区还有16张珍贵的摩崖石刻拓片被送到中国国家博物馆展出，让更多人看到了浯溪碑林的魅力。