Yagou cliff carvings

Yagou cliff carving is located on the cliff of Shiren Mountain, 5km east of Yagou, Acheng City, Heilongjiang Province. It has a history of 700 years. It is a stone carving work in the early Jin Dynasty. It has great artistic value and reflects the distinctive national customs. There are only two stone carvings left. One is a warrior image of a man; the other is a noble woman of the Nuzhen nationality. The man is tall and valiant, while the woman is plump and graceful. The stone statues are completely carved by flat carving technique. The carvers use metal tools to carve 2-5mm lines on the hard granite surface, thus forming the whole portrait. This kind of stone line technique originated in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and developed to maturity in the Tang Dynasty. There are still many different opinions about why the stone figures were carved. Some say that they are carved by Jin Taizu playing yan'aguda and his wife. Some think that they are related to the tombs of the Jin Dynasty. Others think that they are Memorial portraits carved in memory of their ancestors. Yagou cliff carvings fully reflect the ingenuity and superb carving skills of craftsmen at that time.

Yagou cliff carvings

Located on the cliff of Shiren Mountain, 5km to the east of Yagou, Acheng District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, it has a history of seven or eight hundred years. It is a stone carving work in the early Jin Dynasty. It has great artistic value and reflects the distinctive national customs. There are only two stone carvings left. One is a samurai image of a man, the other is a noble woman of Nuzhen nationality. The man is tall and valiant, while the woman is plump and serene. The stone statues are completely carved by flat carving technique. The carvers use metal tools to carve 2-5mm lines on the hard granite. This technique of stone carving originated in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and developed to maturity in the Tang Dynasty. As for who the stone sculptures were, the Yagou cliff sculptures fully reflect the ingenuity and superb carving skills of the craftsmen at that time.

brief introduction

Yagou cliff inscriptions of Jin Dynasty, namely "Acheng Yagou cliff inscriptions of Jin Dynasty", are located in Acheng District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. They are the remains of Jin Dynasty culture and an important part of Jinyuan culture,

At present, it is the most complete and the only cliff carved stone portrait of Jin Dynasty in China. It has very important archaeological research value and is a national cultural relic protection unit.

Carved on two pieces of granite, the image shows a man and a woman sitting side by side. The granite on the stone carving is covered with moss. The male figure, with clear and smooth lines, is a mighty warrior, 185cm high and 105cm wide, wearing helmets; 33cm high head, 22cm wide face, plump and dignified face, dignified and resolute expression; broad arm, round waist, burly figure, wearing a round collar and narrow sleeve robe, Cape on shoulders, high waist boots on feet; left hand on boots, right hand holding sword. The female figure is the image of an elegant lady, sitting with her knees crossed and her hands closed. Due to the erosion of wind and rain, the lines become incomplete and fuzzy.

geographical position

Yagou stone carvings Shiren Mountain is located in the western edge of zhangguangcai mountain, with an altitude of about 200 meters. According to the history of the Jin Dynasty, before the founding of the Jin Dynasty, the Wanyan tribe of the Nuzhen nationality moved from moganshui to juehushui (today's Ashi River). Today's Shiren Mountain belongs to the range of Qingling mountain, which is the main area of Wanyan tribe's activities.

Specific description

Yagou Jin Dynasty cliff stone carvings, the portrait of Yagou town east of 5 kilometers on a cliff rock, has gone through more than 800 years of wind and rain, the image is still vivid. It is a stone image of Nuzhen nationality in Jin Dynasty. Looking down from the mountain, it looks like a giant hanging on top. There are two existing paintings, one male and one female, such as husband and wife sitting side by side. The left general was wearing a helmet, a round collar, a short robe with narrow sleeves and a cape,

The lady on the right side is wearing a woman's hat, a left Lapel robe, sleeve length and hands. She sits cross legged, hands together, and her face is quiet and solemn. As a result, the mountain got its name from the stone carvings, named day: Shiren Mountain. The lazigou reservoir is like a warm and beautiful jade, which contains stone statues and puzzles. There are two stone sculptures in Yagou, which are carved with stone man and South waist, adjacent to granite. The rock surface has a natural radian. The stone statue is backed by a mountain. It is steep on both sides and flat in front. The proportion of male and female figures is slightly the same as that of real people, sitting side by side and looking forward. The male figure is wearing a helmet, with pointed boots, holding a short staff in hand, with her left leg rolled back; the female figure is fuzzy, with rubbings distinguishable; the female figure is wearing a hat, straight collar and left lapel, with both hands closed sleeves, with legs crossed, slightly leaning to the right, accustomed to vision, male right and female left. The male figures are larger, and both of them are carved with natural arc rock. The carving techniques are mainly line carving, and the color nine methods are not the same. Straight knife, side knife, round mouth knife and other shallow turning techniques have changeable lines, clear primary and secondary, and skilled skills.

Three legends of cliff inscriptions

Although it is confirmed that the cliff carving is the site of stone carving art in the early Jin Dynasty, there is still no conclusion about who carved the cliff carving and what its significance is. The visiting team members learned three legends about it through multiple interviews.

Legend one

Some people think that the cliff carvings are the images of Wanyan Aguda and his Empress. Because this stone carving is facing the gate of the site of the emperor's village, which is only 12 kilometers away from there, and it is also the nearest stone cliff to the emperor's village. The image of Jin Taizu and the empress is carved here so that they can see the imperial city from afar.

Legend 2

Some people think that the stone carvings are statues of the National Forest God in Jin Dynasty. The real women worship the natural landscape very much, because it can play a great role in their life. Therefore, at that time, the female immortal worshiped the personification of the forest and carved the statue of the forest God.

Legend 3

Others believe that the stone images are related to the tombs of the Jin Dynasty, with a man and a woman guarding the tombs. Because this place is close to the mountains and faces the water, it is a treasure land of geomantic omen, and it is facing the old city of Jin Shangjing. Therefore, it is speculated that there is the mausoleum site of the king of Jin Dynasty near the cliff inscriptions.

Wang Hongchang, an expert in the history of Jin Dynasty, also has his own views on cliff stone carvings. Wang Hongchang said: "there are two versions of the author of the cliff inscriptions. One is carved by the Jin government, and the other is carved by soldiers with carving skills in their spare time in a military camp nearby. I personally agree with the latter view, because this carving is relatively simple and natural, and has traces of alteration. It should not be carved by the government. "

New interpretation of stone carving

Guo Changhai, Deputy Secretary General of Liao Jin Qidan Nuzhen history society and Jinyuan culture expert of Chinese national history society, consulted a large number of historical materials and found new clues in the inscription of "Dajin Desheng tuosong". It is verified that the stone statue was carved in 1185, the 25th year of Dading in the state of Dajin. The male owner of the portrait is Wanyan Aguda, jintaizu, and the woman is the empress Pushan, Xuanxian, jinshizong's grandmother 822 years ago.

The cliff stone statue is 14 kilometers away from Huining mansion in Shangjing. On the cliff at the south foot of dongshiren mountain in Yagou Town, it is a sitting statue of a man and a woman. It was approved as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1988. Yagou cliff carvings are the only surviving Jurchen figures in the interior of Jinyuan. They are important objects of Jinyuan culture. They were discovered by modern archaeologists in 1937. Archaeologists have made a lot of conjectures about the stone statues. Who carved them, why, and who? Archaeologists have been troubled. Some people think that the stone statues are for the emperor Taizu and his Empress, some people think that the stone statues are used to protect the tomb, and some people think that the stone statues are the symbol of the cliff of Prince Nuzhen's tomb. This interpretation of the cliff mark and the achievements of the ancestors has been used by some experts and scholars.

Mr. Guo Changhai researched the stele of "Da Jin De Sheng Tuo song" carved by Jin Shizong in 1185. This stele recorded: "Da Ding Jia Chen, stay in Shangdu, be filial to sun Guangzhao, at the beginning, he also ordered a new God to resist, to express Mu's appearance. At the same time, he carved precious stones to praise Huihui's career. The inscription praises the construction of the universe, and highlights the achievements of the saints. It is the promise of righteousness. " This inscription records four historical facts: first, "Dading Jiachen", that is, in 1184, Jin Shizong visited the capital of Jin Shangjing; second, during this period, he ordered people to redraw Jin Taizu's "Yurong"; third, he carved a new "Yurong" on a hard stone; fourth, he built the deshengtuosong tablet in April of the next year. Guo Changhai believes that the Yagou cliff carvings should be the "new Yurong" of Jin Taizu, which was painted and carved by Jin Shizong. Standing on the top of the cliff carved stone statue, you can have a panoramic view of the capital; standing on the top of the Huining city wall, you can see the carved stone statue in the mountain. This mountain is the best place in the outskirts of Jin Shangjing, and is the first choice of "Bi Ke Zhen Shi" of Jin Shizong. In addition, according to Guo Changhai's research, a Guda had four wives who were granted the title of Queen. When Jin Shizong redrawn "Yurong" in Beijing, he should choose his grandmother's servant's family. Therefore, the stone female statue should be the empress of Jin Shizong's grandmother.

In addition, Mr. Guo Changhai also studied the issues that influenced people's views, such as the stone statue's carving, the "Yurong" without armor and armor, and the objects held by the stone statue. Guo Changhai believes that there is no problem in the engraving of "Yurong", and the lines outside the arms should be the exposed part of the leather cloak. The lack of armour indicates that people's mind is unified and there is no worry in carving. The armour is also a kind of decoration. What "Yurong" held in his hand should be a kind of Scepter like "stile". Guo Changhai thinks that from the look, sitting posture and costume of the stone statues, the cliff stone carvings should be the "imperial appearance" of a Gu on the "founding ceremony".

Cultural value

The cliff inscriptions have been rated as a national cultural relic protection unit, which shows that their cultural value is no less than that of huiningfu site in Shangjing. The stone line painting in China came into being in Shang and Zhou dynasties. In Qin and Han Dynasties, the figure story painting with complete composition was formed. By the Tang Dynasty, the techniques had become mature. In the period of Liao and Song Dynasties, the line carving art had a higher development

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