King-Supporting Platform

This ancient construction dating back to the Song Dynasty is a historical and cultural site designated as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit. It is located in Liushi Township in the northwest of Lianhua County, Jiangxi Province, accessible via National Highway 319.

This platform was built by Wu Xishi, a loyal martyr of the Song Dynasty. He recruited warriors here to answer Wen Tianxiang’s call to raise troops and defend the imperial court. This place also serves as the burial ground where all thirty members of Wu Xishi’s family sacrificed their lives for the country.

In the 25th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1760), Li Qichang, the subprefect, erected the platform in memory of Wu Xishi. To the south of the platform lie Wu Xishi’s tomb and the ruins of the Martyrs’ Shrine, while the tomb of heroic martyrs stands on the eastern side. A stone stele rises in the centre of the platform, measuring 1.5 metres in height, 0.87 metres in width and 0.28 metres in thickness.

On the upper front are inscribed three characters: King-Supporting Platform. The main body bears the Ode to the King-Supporting Platform, written by Kong Xingyuan, Magistrate of Anfu County. The top of the reverse side is carved with the phrase Exert oneself to the utmost until one’s last breath. Below it is the Preface to King-Supporting Platform: A Seven-Character Ancient Poem composed by Li Qichang. The inscriptions remain legible for later generations to pay tribute.

The site was officially listed as a county-level cultural relic protection unit in 1984