Stone Tablet in Memory of Kublai Khan's
Conquest of Yunnan
 The
tablet is situated at the site of the Third Month
Fair near the foot of Zhonghe Peak of Cangshan,
west of Dali. It was erected in the 8th year (1304)
of the Dade era of the Yuan Dynasty. The tablet
is formed by two pieces of rock, 4.44 metres high
and 1.65 metres wide. More than 1,300 characters
were carved, and the characters are still legible
today. The title of the tablet consisting of eight
Chinese seal characters (meaning the tablet commemorating
Kublai Khan's conquest of Yunnan) were carved
horizontally on the upper part of the tablet.
The inscriptions vividly describe the expedition
led by Emperor Kublai Mian in the second year
(1252) of the Xianzong era of the Yuan Dynasty.
It records the deeds, the expedition routes and
how Dali Kingdom was conquered and Yunnan province
established. It is a very important source material
for the study of the politics, the military affairs
and the history of Yunnan in the early days of
the Yuan Dynasty.
|
