The Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration yesterday urged the protection of the nation’s heritage after it found the name of a late Taiwanese calligrapher carved on the “Tiger Inscription” on the Caoling Mountain Pass (草嶺古道), which has existed since 1867.
Director Fang Cheng-kuang (方正光) said the inscription is the calligraphy of Chinese military ambassador Liu Ming-deng (劉明燈), on which he wrote the Chinese character for tiger (虎) in 1867. It is listed as a third-grade national historic site under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), along with the “Boldly Quell the Violent Mists” stone inscription (雄鎮蠻煙碑), which is also on the Caoling Mountain Pass, he said.
Fang said the agency was informed that someone had carved the name of late Taiwanese calligrapher Bai Yu-cheng (白玉崢) on the side of the monument.
Bai dedicated his life to the research of Chinese oracle bone script. Netizens suspect that some people might think the oracle bone scripts carved on the monument were written by Bai and that they wanted him to be recognized.
The agency said there was no way of knowing the intention of the perpetrator of the act, as there is no surveillance equipment installed near the “Tiger Inscription.” Finding the perpetrator would be very difficult, it said.
The agency said it had managed to remove carving from the monument with silver grass stalks and water, because the carving on the stone was not deep enough to leave a permanent mark.
Perpetrators of acts of vandalism at a third-grade historic site face up to five years in prison or a fine of between NT$200,000 and NT$1 million, the agency said.
The agency said that Liu was held up by a sandstorm during an inspection of the nation’s east coast. As it was believed at the time that “all clouds follow the dragon, all winds follow the tiger, and all saintly deeds shall be witnessed by all beings of the world,” Liu wrote “tiger” on the stone using wild silver grass in the hope of warding off the mythological beast.
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