Chongqing - With the Yangtze River's water level dropping, a giant tortoise-shaped rock emerged near the southern bank. After hearing the news, people rushed to take photos or headed straight up to the boulder. There was a time when curious citizens filled the river banks under the Dongshuimen Bridge to enjoy the rock. The charm of the "Turtle Stone" with the Longmenhao inscription is visible, but what is its content on earth? On August 30, the Chongqing Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute (CQA) formally announced the latest survey results for Longmenhao inscriptions and statues.

The Longmenhao's "Turtle Rock" during the dry season. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

There are three inscriptions and statues on the "Turtle Stone." According to on-site surveying, there are two grottoes (including two cliff statues) and one inscription, all from the Qing Dynasty, on the boulder commonly known as "turtle stone" by citizens.

"We observed that the entire moraine stone, as well as the inscriptions and statues, were exposed to the surface at a higher degree in the dry season," said Xu Jin, deputy director of the Public Archaeology Center of Chongqing Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. So they proceeded directly up to Turtle Rock along the stone beam connected to the shore.

Longmenhao inscriptions and statues were already registered as cultural relics in the third national cultural relics census (June 2007-December 2011) but were not recorded as accurately and comprehensively as this time due to technical problems.

Based on the mapping results, stone niche No.1 measures 1.8 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, with a standing statue wearing monk clothes and clasping his hands together.

Niche No. 1. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Niche No.2 measures 1.8 meters high and 1.65 meters wide. The niche contains a real-life portrait of Ci Hang, sitting on a lotus seat, wearing a flower crown, holding a clean bottle, and engraved with a couplet from the Qing Dynasty on both sides.

Niche No. 2. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Additionally, there is a stone inscription that says, "Any request will be answered," inscribed "Established on April 24, in the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870 AD)." Despite being submerged in water for so long and baptized by the river, the statues are still in excellent detail, as seen from the on-site mapping photos. Like the giant earlobes of the standing monk in niche No.1, the realistic folds of the monk's clothes, the three-dimensional layers, and the overlapping fingers of Ci Hang in niche No.2 all present a sense of vividness. The purpose of sculptures is to pray for boats' safety and avoid disasters.

The staff measured and took pictures of the statue. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

The two caves above and their corresponding statues face the center of the Yangtze River. The location of the excavation, coupled with its archaeological content, clearly indicates it was intended to pray for the safety of ships in the past.

Xu Jin explained that the couplet in niche No.1 uses many Buddhist terms, most of which are related to Buddhism, Buddhist temples, and holy places associated with Buddha's sayings. "For instance, there are two Ciyun Temples in Chongqing. One has existed since the Song Dynasty in Zouma Town, Jiulongpo District, which CQA excavated in 2012. Another one in Nan'an District is also a national key temple not far from Longmenhao." Xu Jin added that the statue on the water path also symbolizes the blessing of safety.

Similar inscriptions and statues are a significant feature of Chongqing. According to Xu Jin, the Longmenhao inscriptions and statues reflect the characteristics of Chongqing. Besides being one of the twelve scenic spots of the ancient Bayu culture, it is also a landmark in Chongqing.

The old photo of the Longmenghao. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Xu Jin mentioned that Longmenhao represents small and medium-sized grottoes in Chongqing. Grottoes with inscriptions and statues in Longmenhao, as well as the cliff statues on Banan, form a unique part of Chongqing.

The protection of grottoes exposed during the dry season can be achieved by timely observation, mapping, and recording. "It is known that Chongqing is rich in waterways. On river sections of stone beams and islands, it is relatively rare to find the same scale of stone statues left by ancients. That's what made Longmenhao's inscriptions and statues a humanistic treasure."

The model of the Longmenhao inscription and statue made by Wang Ming

After collecting detailed and accurate data, the CQA specialized in close-range photogrammetry and 3D modeling for Longmenhao inscriptions and statues. Xu Jin said, "The use of digital measurement technology is a requirement for a comprehensive, scientific, and systematic reflection of the survey results, and beneficial to the production of drawings on all sides of the ruins."

(Chen Lu, as an intern, also contributed to the report.)