Scholars of every generation have loved to leave poems inscribed here.
Tips
usage
Almost always sits directly in front of a noun, 历代皇帝, 历代王朝, 历代名家, and covers every link in the chain, not the past in general. For history as a subject you want 历史.
memory
The 历 is the one in 历史 and 经历: passing through one thing after another. Add 代, a generation or a dynasty, and you get every generation in turn.
