China Wuqiao International Acrobatic Art Festival was held in Hebei Province from 65438 to 0987, with golden lion, silver lion, bronze lion trophy and the emblem with the figure of lion. Its original source and model are taken from and selected from Cangzhou Iron Lion. Today, Cangzhou Iron Lion enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad. As a symbol of China, an emissary of friendship, we will win glory for our country.
Cangzhou Iron Lion, also called "Zhenhai Roar" locally, is located in the old town of Cangxian County, in front of the original Kaiyuan Temple. There are different opinions about the exact origin of the iron lion from ancient times to the present. According to Cang County Records, Zhou Shizong's northern expedition to Khitan punished sinners, which was "one town and one city". However, later experts believed that Zhou Shizong never believed in Buddhism, and the theory of punishment was not credible. It is a well-known legend that is widely circulated and reasonable in the local area. In ancient times, Cangzhou was near the sea, and the sea was often flooded, and the people were in dire straits. In order to eliminate this ruthless flood, the local people automatically raised money and donated money, and asked Li Yunzhu, a famous foundry in Shandong at that time, to stop the tsunami flood and named it "Zhenhai Hou". It is generally believed that the donor's name is cast on the outside of the lion's body.
The casting age and foundry of the iron lion were all cast in the lion body. On the right side of the lion's neck, there are the words "Da Zhou Guangshun was cast for three years" and on the right rib, there are the words "Shandong Li Yunzao". According to the three years of Guang Shun in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, that is, in 953 AD, it has a history of more than 1000 years. How high is the largest cast iron work of art in China? The lion is 3.8m tall, with a head height of 1.5m, an overall height of 5.3m, a total length of 6. 1m and a body width of 3. 17m. What's its total weight? It turns out that it is said that the total weight of the iron lion is about 40 tons. 1984, after accurate weighing, the total weight of the iron lion is 29.30 tons. The iron lion's tall body, facing north and south, holds its head high, glows wide, its mouth is wide open, its limbs are open, as if it were in a hurry to stop, and as if it were striding forward. Its majestic momentum and lifelike posture complement the three Chinese characters "Lion King" cast on its head! No wonder scholars of all ages are full of praise. Li, a scholar in Qing Dynasty, wrote Ode to the Iron Lion, praising the Iron Lion for its "heroic, starry eyes, saw claws and hooked teeth". It's ferocious and leisurely, but at first it's a long-term stop. Tilt your head to the west to absorb the radio waves in radio and television; Sweep the east with a broken tail, and a mirage resists the tide, which gives a wonderful and vivid description of the majestic posture and momentum of the iron lion.
The casting process of iron lion clothing is also amazing. Wear mud (dust pad) and shoulder a huge lotus. The diameter of the bottom of the lotus is 1 m, the diameter of the upper mouth is 2m, and the height is 0.7m.. According to legend, this is the lotus seat of Manjusri Bodhisattva. The lion's hair is wavy or curly, hanging down to the neck, with bands floating on the chest and buttocks, and both ends hanging down to the shoulders and crotch. In addition, there are many inscriptions inside and outside the lion body. In addition to the above casting date and the names of the caster and the money donor, the word "Lion King" is also cast on the top of the head and under the neck, and there is a diamond sutra cast by exquisite official script in the abdominal cavity, which has certain calligraphy and archaeological value. Unfortunately, most of them are blurred now, and only a few figures are vaguely discernible.
Iron lion's exquisite casting technology is indeed a treasure of China's casting technology. However, how was this iron lion with a total weight of 30,000 kilograms cast? According to textual research, this is a special "mud Fan Ming casting method" adopted by the ancients, which is made by overlapping casting in sections. The iron lion has a smooth abdomen, and its exterior is made of 30-40 cm long stones, which are built layer by layer and poured layer by layer. * * * consists of 544 building blocks. With the manual smelting and casting technology of 1000 years ago, such a huge thing can be cast, which shows that its modeling, smelting and casting technology are quite high, which fully shows the high achievements of ancient casting technology in China.
1in the spring of 957, a Soviet expert visited Cangzhou at that time. When he saw the majestic image and imposing manner of the iron lion, he admired and admired the intelligence of the ancient working people and craftsmen in China. However, when he found that the iron lion was damaged in many places due to years of wind and rain erosion, especially the broken chin, he said with emotion: "This precious cultural relic is a national treasure. If it is to be protected by Canada in our country, I will go to see it every day because it can be cited as the pride of the country and the nation. "
How to protect this national treasure, the local government and cultural relics departments at all levels have always attached great importance to it and taken some protective measures. However, it is very regrettable and disturbing that in recent years, the iron lion began to crack. At present, the iron lion's trunk is well preserved, but its limbs are cracked to varying degrees. Due to wind and rain erosion, the whole body is seriously corroded. Provincial and municipal cultural relics departments collected the "medical plan" of the Iron Lion from the whole country, and National Cultural Heritage Administration even invited experts from the United States, Britain and Japan to study the protection plan in Cangzhou. I look forward to the early success of the restoration and let the iron lion regain its majestic posture.