Zhejiang Cultural Tourism Observation: How to protect the Millennium West Lake cliff inscriptions?

　　Chinanews.com, Hangzhou, March 13th, title: Zhejiang Cultural Tourism Observation: How to protect the inscriptions on the cliffs of the Millennium West Lake?

　　Reporter Wang Titi

　　"This is the circle of friends posted by the ancients by the West Lake." Wei Zhuting said.

　　Wei Zhuting is the deputy director of the Wuyue State History and Culture Research Center (under preparation) of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Grotto Temple Investigation Expert Group, and the curator of "Eternity on Lakes and Mountains—Exhibition of Inscriptions on Cliffs of the West Lake in Hangzhou".

　　Recently, many people have come to Zhejiang West Lake Art Museum, hoping to see the circle of friends posted by the ancients by the West Lake from more than 200 rubbings of West Lake cliff inscriptions.

　　The West Lake cliff inscriptions have a history of 1,300 years of formation and 800 years of documented history, and the existing rubbings of the cliff inscriptions also have a history of hundreds of years of hammering and collection.

The audience watched the exhibition at the scene of "Eternal Engraving on Lakes and Mountains-Exhibition of Inscriptions on Cliffs of Past Dynasties in West Lake, Hangzhou".

Photo by Wang Titi

　　Among them, Qian Yuci Yunling Road Opening Record, Wuyue Wenmu Wang Qian Yuanguan Shinto Stele, Su Shi Zhiguoyuan inscription, Han Shizhong Cuiwei Pavilion inscription, Sun Long Yanxia Cave Poetry Inscription, Dong Qichang Yongming Pagoda Stele, Qianlong Emperor Liu Langwen Ying Poetry, etc. The rubbings of the remaining cliffs and inscriptions have been honored to be handed down and displayed in this exhibition.

　　Wei Zhuting told reporters that most of the inscriptions on the cliffs of West Lake are titles and list books, which are records of the official career of literati in the past dynasties, and are also physical witnesses to the development history of the West Lake landscape for more than a thousand years.

　　In late February of the sixth year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty (1073), Hangzhou Tongjuan Su Shi met his colleagues for a trip, and stayed here in Shiwudong: Chen Xiang, Su Song, Sun Yi, Huang Hao, Zeng Xiaozhang, and Su Shi traveled together. Xining six years on February 21st.

　　But at the end of the Song Dynasty, the Yuanyou Party banned it, and Su Shi was blacklisted. The word "Su Shi" was erased until the Ming Dynasty re-engraved it.

　　In March 2019, Wei Zhuting and Xi Xunqiang, a lover of Hangzhou literature and history, discovered the inscription of Qianlong's imperial poem "You Xiaoyou Tianyuan Climb to the Top" on Nanping Mountain by the West Lake.

"I love Xiaoyoutian in the West Lake the most", Emperor Qianlong's favorite secret garden in the West Lake—Xiaoyoutian Garden has returned to the attention of contemporary people.

　　"Tourists a thousand years later stand under these inscriptions, caress the landscape stones, want to see the scene of the day, and empathize with the ancients. This is also the special value of cliff inscriptions that is different from historical documents." Wei Zhuting said frankly, hoping to borrow These historical silhouettes of thousands of sails show the history and current situation of the inscriptions on the West Lake cliffs, analyze the formation and changes of the West Lake landscape, raise public awareness of the protection of the West Lake inscriptions on the cliffs, and enrich the new perspectives and new routes of contemporary Hangzhou cultural tourism.

　　So, what is the status quo of the inscriptions on the cliffs of West Lake?

　　Shao Qun, deputy secretary of the Lingyin Management Office of West Lake Scenic Area in Hangzhou and a member of the cultural and museum research librarian, told reporters that thanks to the continuous discovery of the cultural relics department and some stone lovers in the society, the number of inscriptions on the cliffs of the West Lake has increased from the original five to six hundred. , has grown to more than a thousand places today.

　　As the saying goes, "gold and stone live forever", but in fact, the inscriptions on the cliffs of West Lake are also getting old.

　　According to his introduction, among the more than 1,000 West Lake cliff inscriptions, no more than 20 to 30% are very well preserved. Most of the cliff inscriptions cannot see individual characters or multiple characters.

Rubbings of inscriptions on West Lake cliffs on display.

Photo by Wang Titi

　　The mountains of West Lake are karst landform and limestone geology.

This kind of geology has many caves and is prone to fissures.

Once there is severe water ingress in the cracks, coupled with direct sunlight, it will be weathered, cracked, and then blurred.

　　In addition to natural weathering, there are also man-made destruction.

For example, on the caves of Feilai Peak and the cliffs along the stream, some beautifully carved stone statues were "handled" in the early years. Some hands were touched black and bright, which looked very glaring, and some faces were touched "Big painted face" is very uncoordinated.

　　Shao Qun said that many cliff inscriptions are not included in the protection and management scope of cultural relic protection units, and are not even in the public's field of vision.

　　"Nowadays, the inscriptions on the cliffs of West Lake are more concerned about the grotto statues, and the protection level of the statues is relatively high. However, the individual tourist inscriptions and inscriptions are generally not treated as a separate cultural relic project." Wei Zhuting also said the same .

　　Wei Zhuting said that for the protection of the inscriptions on the cliffs of the West Lake, the inscriptions on the cliffs discovered are made public in a timely manner through exhibitions, lectures, etc., thereby prompting the cultural relics department to increase its protection level.

　　At the same time, he also appealed to citizens and tourists to announce as soon as they discover new cliff inscriptions, so that the newly discovered cliff inscriptions can be better protected in time.

　　Shao Qun revealed that the previously held "Fearless Floating Clouds-Feilaifeng Stone Carving Cultural Exhibition" attracted cooperation from Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University City College and other colleges and universities, and provided technical support for the protection of cliff inscriptions. For example, through 3D printing, let The Budai Maitreya of Feilai Peak is on display at the National Museum.

　　In addition, she also suggested that a professional volunteer team with comprehensive abilities such as research on the protection of cliff inscriptions, profound cultural and historical research capabilities, in-depth understanding of historical figures, and a solid foundation in seals and calligraphy be formed to do a good job on the West Lake Cliff. Inscription inspection, monitoring, cleaning, recording and other work, while deepening the research on West Lake cliff inscriptions, through the innovation of cultural communication forms, such as short video transmission, tourist route design, etc., to tell the cultural stories of West Lake cliff inscriptions, Strengthen the protection publicity of the cliff inscriptions, enhance the public's awareness of the protection of the cliff inscriptions, and enrich the cultural connotation of the West Lake.

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