Why was Nanjing called “Stone City” in ancient times?

In 208 A.D., the domineering Cao Cao issued a letter of war to Sun Quan: "Today we have millions of troops and thousands of generals, and we want to join the generals in Jiangxia." ’ In order to defeat Cao Cao’s plan, Zhuge Liang was sent as an envoy to Soochow. On the way, he passed Shitou Mountain, which is now Qingliang Mountain. Zhuge Liang jumped on his horse and climbed to the top of the mountain. Looking far and near, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Zhongshan has dragons and tigers perched on stones. It really is the residence of an emperor." Zhuge Liang suggested that Sun Quan move the capital. Qingliang Mountain still has the place name "Zhumapo".

"In 211 AD, Sun Quan moved the capital to Moling and built a city on the original site of Jinling City on Stone Mountain and named it Stone. Stone City was based on the cliffs of Qingliang Mountain and was built around the mountain. Stone warehouses, stone warehouses and stone walls were set up in Stone City. A warehouse was built to store grain and weapons. A beacon tower was built on Shicheng. Shitucheng was also an important naval base for Sun Quan. After Soochow, the Song, Qi, Liang and Chen Dynasties in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasty all used Jianye as their capital. The city has always been a military fortress protecting the capital.

“After the Tang Dynasty, the river gradually moved westward, and the Stone City began to be abandoned. In the writings of Liu Yuxi, a poet of the mid-Tang Dynasty, Stone City was already a desolate and lonely "empty city". Nearly 2,000 years have passed, and the vicissitudes of the stone city wall has peeled off gravel, jagged rocks, and purple and black rocks mixed in. From a distance, the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose look like a ferocious grimace. The swords and shadows of the dynasty are strangely engraved on it. On top of this most ugly strange face, this strange face is reflected in the clear water below the city. The strange rocks are speechless, but from this silent landscape, it is not difficult for us to read the glory and pathos of history, the absurdity and harmoniousness. accidental.

“This kind of history engraved on stone is actually the soul of this city. At present, Stone City Park has been renovated, and the scene of ‘ghost face looking in the mirror’ has been reproduced. However, we have not The Stone City is highlighted as a characteristic landscape of the city.

“There are many ways to highlight the historical Stone City. For example, the history of Jinling City is displayed in long scrolls in the form of stone carvings, and the park is built into a Stone City History Museum. At the current original site, the ancient city walls, beacon towers, water villages, stone warehouses, and stone streets are reproduced. This is the best window for citizens to understand the history of the city, and I believe it will also be a new highlight of Nanjing tourism. ”

“Let time no longer erode thousands of years of art”

“I don’t know why, the Six Dynasties era, which was extravagant, glitzy and prone to wars, was able to produce such art full of quality and power. To a certain extent, the stone carvings of the Six Dynasties are an unrepeatable pinnacle of art.

“There are 19 stone carvings on tombs in the Southern Dynasties in Nanjing, distributed in Jiangning, Qixia and other places. Their earliest date began in the Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, about 1500 years ago. Among the 19 stone carvings on tombs, the Imperial Mausoleum* **3, and there are 7 missing tombs.

“Most of these tombs are oriented north to south, and generally include tombs of sacred animals, Shinto stone pillars, Shinto monuments, etc. There are three types of mythical beasts used to guard tombs: the two-horned Tianlu, the one-horned unicorn and the hornless unicorn. They are basically similar in shape, with tall bodies, heads held high and chests held high, and a majestic and solemn demeanor.

"The Tianlu and Qilin located in front of the tomb of Emperor Chen Wen, Chen Qianyong, in Shichong, Qixia District, are the representative works of the stone beasts in the imperial mausoleum. They stand facing each other, with strong and flexible shapes, and meticulous and sophisticated carving techniques. The simple style of the Han Dynasty gives people a tall and plump impression. The tomb of Xiao Hong, the king of Liang Linchuan, located in Zhangjiaku Village, Xianhemen, has a powerful and concise sculpture to ward off evil spirits. The carving techniques are skillful, and the overall and partial shapes are very harmonious, showing a symmetry. The beauty is a masterpiece of stone carvings in front of princes' tombs to ward off evil spirits.

"The stone carvings of the tombs of the Southern Dynasties are inherited from the Qin and Han Dynasties and originated from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. They are comparable to the grotto art of the Northern Dynasties at the same time and occupy an extremely important place in the history of Chinese stone carving art. status. It is not only a masterpiece of ancient Chinese stone carving art, but also a treasure in the world's art treasure house.

“When taking stock of the stone carvings of the Six Dynasties in Nanjing, we are amazed and even shocked at the same time, but we are also sad to see this long list of damage.

“Liu Yuchu Ningling Stone Carvings: In Qilin Shop outside Qilin Gate in Jiangning, there are stone Qilin and Tianlu. Tianlu's four legs are now incomplete, so people now built four stone pillars and placed them underneath. Three of Qilin's legs were broken, but one leg was intact. Today, people put stone pillars underneath.

"Stone carvings of Xiao's tomb: Xiao's tomb is located in the farmland of Team 4, Ganjia Lane, Xinhe Village, Qixia Town, Nanjing City, to the west of Xiao Hui's tomb. In front of the tomb is a stone tablet, a stone tortoise, and a stone to ward off evil spirits. West. Only the remnants of the back crotch of Shi Bixie remain.

"The stone carvings of Xiao Hui's tomb: The tomb is on the west side of Ganjia Lane. The only relics in front of the tomb were two stone Bixie stones. The east stone Bixie was broken into two pieces from head to tail and top to bottom;

“Comparing the photos taken 20 years ago with the current ones, I found that the original very clear patterns have now become very blurry, there are many cracks on the stone carvings, and some stone carvings are broken. Many stone carvings Surrounded by garbage, weeds or private houses, some are even submerged in water.

“If heaven is affectionate, the sky will also grow old, and the six stone carvings that have poured so much life passion from our ancestors will inevitably be eroded by time. . In recent years, due to the pollution and destruction caused by the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, the originally slow weathering has accelerated hundreds or even thousands of times. Therefore, the rescue and protection of the Six Dynasties stone carvings has become urgent. Currently, there are two voices: "on-site protection" and "centralized protection", but blind disputes will only delay the protection of the stone carvings, and we must take action immediately. Based on the principle of in-situ protection, those that cannot be protected on-site must be protected immediately and intensively. ”

“Let Qixia Grottoes become ‘Eastern Dunhuang’”

“It is said that Seng Shao, the founder of Qixia Temple, once dreamed of the light of the Tathagata on the west rock wall, so he decided to build it here Chiseled Buddha statue.

"After he died of illness, his son began to carve a niche on the west wall in the second year of Yongming in the Southern Qi Dynasty (484), and carved three Buddha statues. These three Buddhas are collectively called the "Three Saints of the West". Also known as the "Three Holy Temples", there are either five or six Buddha statues in one niche, or seven or eight Buddha statues in one room. There are 515 Buddha statues, which are carved into 294 Buddhist niches. .

"Later, the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties successively excavated Shamao Peak. Including the Southern Dynasties, there were 700 statues. The big Buddha statues are several feet high, while the small ones are only a few feet tall. Among them, the 'Big Buddha Pavilion' is the earliest and largest grotto. It was excavated in the seventh year of Yongming in the Southern Qi Dynasty (AD 489). The seated statue of Amitayus in the center is 12 meters high.

"In 1924, the monks actually coated all the Buddha statues with cement. They were looted during the Cultural Revolution, and very few of them were preserved intact. Recently, the cement of some Buddha statues has peeled off, and it can be seen that the stone parts are still relatively well preserved. Well, the clothing patterns are clear. The carving style of the statues is round and meticulous, beautiful and elegant, which echoes the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes in the Northern Dynasties.

"In 2000, the "Feitian" was discovered in Qixia Mountain. There are only 5 Buddha statues in the small cave niche. The two groups of flying apsaras on the top of the cave are orange with clearly distinguishable lines. The flame on the head of the middle Buddha statue is faintly visible. Although there are only two pairs of flying apsaras, this is the easternmost "Dunhuang ruins" discovered in our country.

"Dunhuang in the west has become a place of pilgrimage for artists from all over the world, but the Qixia Grottoes, which have imprinted the artistic styles of past dynasties, are unknown. As a Nanjing native, I can say that I am very anxious. I am eager to One day, Qixia Grottoes can be perfectly displayed in front of the world like Dunhuang, leaving people stunned by its superb craftsmanship and exquisite performance."

"Let Stone City truly have the soul of stone"

“For cities named after stones, nature particularly favors the most beautiful stone elves as gifts. Yuhua Stone, also known as Yuhua Agate, has gone through purgatory-like suffering and cold-blooded condensation to achieve the photographic results. The beauty of the soul is breathtaking. The history of Yuhua Stone is just like that of Nanjing, the ancient city where it was born. This ancient city has gone through countless hardships but still blooms with bright flowers of civilization.

"'The eminent monk said that the sky is still and colorful. Rain is weird. To this day, the Lingyan Rock beside the platform is still covered with rotten flowers of five colors. ’ There is such a magical legend about Yuhua Stone. In 507 AD, during the period of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, Master Yunguang of Gaozuo Temple outside the south gate of Nanjing City was a famous eminent monk at that time. One day, he was meditating on a small hill in the south of the city and preaching. Monk Yunguang's tongue was spitting out lotus flowers, and his words were like a river. The listeners felt as if they were listening to the sounds of nature and were intoxicated. He kept saying this for several days.

Suddenly, the clear sky was filled with flowers. For a while, the sky was filled with flowers. The flowers fell like rain, and the raindrops turned into colorful stones on the ground. People call this stone Yuhua Stone. The hill where Yunguang preached the sermon is now the Yuhuatai.

"This is a legend. Because of this legend, the magnificent Yuhua Stone seems to have life and spirituality. Literati and poets of all dynasties have fallen in love with it and worshiped it. They discovered from this stone Understand the human spirit, love and hatred, and the rise and fall of the country.

"In comparison, among the historical remains of Nanjing stone culture, Yuhua Stone can be said to be the favorite of thousands of people. , literati like it, common people like it, but inappropriate love is sometimes a kind of harm.

“Most of the Yuhua Stone development companies are privately owned, with chaotic management and widespread mining and excavation, which is highly destructive to resources. In order to make Yuhua Terrace have a good appearance, Yuhua Stone’s “beauty industry” The end result is that artificially polished Yuhua stones with a tacky sheen are so popular that real fine products are hard to find.

“Many fine works are kept secret in the hands of collectors, which embodies the spirit of Nanjing. The unique stone soul cannot be appreciated and interpreted by Nanjing people, which is a great regret. We should hold more stone appreciation exhibitions and competitions, launch high-quality famous stones, enhance the spiritual taste of Nanjing people, and make Nanjing people truly become high-quality citizens with the spirit of the city. ”

The interview with Sun Daliang gave the author a deeper understanding and deep recognition of the city he lives in. I don’t know how generous people will evaluate his suggestions, and What I see is the heart of an ordinary citizen. Yes, in the long history, Stone City has been hit and swept away countless times, and the dust and smoke that swallowed up thousands of miles have fallen silent one by one. But they have not disappeared. They are just left on the stones, but it is the responsibility of our generation to retain these marks.