Guìzhōu

Guizhou here is the historical district at present-day Guigang in Guangxi. In 1369 the Ming reduced the prefecture to Gui County, which belonged to Xunzhou prefecture through the Ming and Qing periods. On the south side of its river country, Nanshan Temple occupied caves beneath limestone peaks and attracted officials and travellers who left inscriptions on the rock.

In 1372 the provincial judicial official Ye Yuanhe visited the temple and composed a poem lamenting the loss of its earlier imperial calligraphy and buildings. Later stones record repeated restoration: Zeng Guangguo commemorated work on Buddhist images in 1682, while Li Bin described repairs to halls, a kitchen and entrance structures in 1709. Both men also helped compile the county gazetteer under the Kangxi emperor. In 1763 magistrate Zang Zuogong added a long poem of his own. These inscriptions preserve the encounters of local administration, religious patronage and travel around the county town.