Qingping Cave in Yaoguan Town, Shidian County, Yunnan
Qingping Cave was excavated by Deng Zilong, a military commander during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1585 AD), after his victory in the anti-Burmese rebellion war. During his leisure time, Deng Zilong carved a cave into a mountain and inscribed the name 'Qingping Cave' on the stone wall, symbolizing the pacification of the turmoil in western Yunnan and the peaceful and prosperous life of people from various ethnic groups. Originally a natural limestone cave, Qingping Cave is majestic and spectacular, with a cool interior that can accommodate a hundred people; there is a stone inside that, when struck, sounds like drum music. There are also stalactites dripping water into 'stone bowls' below, the water in these bowls never dries up; the cave is divided into two halls, north and south, both with extraordinary stone patterns and walls as solid as iron. The north hall has stone beds, stone benches, and a stone-carved Go table, which is said to be where General Deng planned military strategies and rested; the south hall is high and spacious, able to accommodate over a hundred people, and served as the 'barracks' for General Deng's guards. A hole in the center of the cave hall allows sunlight to pour in around noon, and on the external stone wall of the cave, the words 'Leaning on Sword,' 'Hanging Bow,' and 'Archery Practice' are inscribed, implying that General Deng considered potential dangers even in times of safety and maintained a vigilant mindset. On the south hall's stone wall, the inscriptions 'Iron Wall,' 'Silver Vase,' and 'Heavenly Ladder' are three poems praising the stone rocks. Climbing the 'Heavenly Ladder' spirals up to a unique pavilion at the top of the cave, where General Deng used to climb to admire the moon. Standing in the pavilion not only allows one to appreciate the lotus pond in front of the cave, the lush willows on the banks, and the rugged mountains that reflect each other's beauty, but also to gaze upon the ancient town of Yaoguan and the beautiful karst scenery, which is truly refreshing. In front of the cave, the fragrance of lotuses fills the air, and there is a pavilion that seems to fly out from among the lotuses, where it is said that General Deng once sharpened his swords, hence the name 'Sword Sharpening Pavilion.' On the pavilion, he composed a couplet: 'When will the sword extinguish the wind, and from where did the cave fly in?' It is said that General Deng sharpened his sword and composed immortal poems in the pavilion, demonstrating his noble spirit of 'shouldering sharp weapons and being loyal with a brave heart.' These poetic works, despite the vicissitudes of history, still signal to posterity General Deng's passionate, versatile, and extraordinarily intelligent heroic image. On the north side of the cave, a small pavilion was built, housing a stone stele inscribed with 'Elephant Cooking Site' by Li Genyuan, marking the place where General Deng defeated the Burmese elephant troops and cooked elephants to reward his soldiers. To commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country in the battle, and to express admiration for General Deng's military strategies and reverence for his great achievements, in 1587 (the fifteenth year of the Wanli period), the people of Shidian built the 'Commemorative Pavilion for Loyal Martyrs' on the north side of Qingping Cave. In the same year, the Commemorative Shrine for Loyal Martyrs was built to the south of the cave, consisting of a main hall and two wings, forming a quadrangle courtyard with an ancient beam-lifting wooden structure, covering an area of 750 square meters. The main hall is 12.6 meters wide and 8.25 meters deep, with a total of 23 rooms. Inside the hall stands a statue of General Deng, and the right wing houses eight carved lattice doors from the Ming Dynasty's Mocang Temple, which experts call a 'treasure of Central Plains culture in western Yunnan'.