In Nannieshui Village, more than 30 kilometers north of Qin County, Changzhi City, Shanxi, a large number of cellar stone carvings were found in the 1950s, with a total of more than 700 pieces, most of which were four-sided statue tower components from the Northern Dynasty period, and more than 100 stone carvings of the Song Dynasty were found in the 1990s
【Qinxian Nanne water carvings】
【Statue Tower Components Exhibited in Nanne water statue museum】
Most of the stone carvings found in Nanneshui are square or slightly trapezoidal statue tower components, the Northern Dynasty period statue style, in addition to some inscriptions and monolithic statues, many of which are various inscriptions, the earliest is the third year of Yongping (510), the latest is the ninth year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1031), the time span is up to five hundred years, and its burial time should be in the Northern Song Dynasty
【Statue of Nanne Water】
Since the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang in the eighteenth year (494), the statues of pingluo ancient roads have arisen, and the northern dynasty statues carved in the southern neshui stone are rich in inscriptions, summarizing various types of information, including the third year of Northern Wei Yongping (510), the second year of Yanchang (513), the first year of Shengui (518), the second year of Zhengguang (521), the first year of Xiaochang (525), the third year of Xiaochang (527), the first year of Jianyi (528), the second year of Jianyi (529), the second year of Yongxi (533), The third year of Eastern Wei Xinghe (541), the fourth year of Wuding (546), the eighth year of Wuding (550), the fourth year of Northern Qi Tianbao (553), the sixth year of Tianbao (555), the second year of Huang jian (561), the first year of Wuping (570), the sixth year of Wuping (575), etc., cover almost all the time periods after the Northern Wei moved the capital to the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, and the Northern Wei became the Eastern and Western Wei, and then into northern Qi and Northern Zhou, and the donation of carved statues has not stopped
【Statue of Yongxi of the Northern Wei Dynasty】
【Northern Qi Tianbao Four-Year Statue】
【Northern Qi Wuping Six-Year Inscription】
When the statue was excavated, several pieces were stacked together and buried in the cellar pit, and the display in the Nanne water statue hall was also stacked together, and in the excavated inscription mentioned that there were "three levels of stone floating figures", it can be known that it was a tower, and some inscriptions were "respect for the five-level stone statue in one area", "wait for the respect for the stone statue in one area, raise the five levels"
【Statue stacked into a tower】
So what should the Statue of Nanne water look like in the first place? Gansu Provincial Museum collection of western Wei Dynasty (536) Quan's stone statue tower may be able to give the answer, this pagoda was excavated in Qin'an County, Gansu Province, the tower body and the eaves are different independent components stacked together, the tower body is carved on all four sides of the Buddha statue, consistent with the Nan ne water statue model, the carving time before and after the Nan Ne water statue activities are underway, the Nan Ne water stone carving should be buried when the tower eaves without Buddha statue abandoned, the same reason there is also the Longxing Temple statue unearthed in Qingzhou, Shandong, buried is to abandon the statue base
【Gansu Museum Quan's Stone Statue Tower】
Nan Ne Shui North Dynasty statues are not only numerous, but also each stone four-sided statues, rich themes, there are two Buddhas sitting side by side, Foot Maitreya, Thinking Bodhisattva, Vimalaya, etc., The Popular Models of the Northern Dynasty can be seen here, there are many statues with a serene look, gorgeous clothing, worth slowly appreciating
【Two Buddhas sitting side by side】
【Thinking Bodhisattva】
【White Horse Kiss Foot】
【Manjushri and Vimalakirti】
【Carving acrobatic artists around the shrine】
The statue style excavated by Nan ne shui is close to that of the Yungang Grottoes, after the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital luoyang, the Yungang grottoes are still excavated, but the scale has shrunk a lot, and it is not excluded that some craftsmen went south along the Pingluo Ancient Road, and stayed in the Nan Ne Shui where Buddhism flourished on the way, leaving a large number of Yungang-like artistic masterpieces
【Nanne water stone carving statue】
I have visited the land out of the Nan ne water statue, there is a Hongfu Temple in the village, the main hall is in the style of the Jin Yuan period, the statue was excavated on the earthen mound tens of meters behind the temple, under the leadership of a big brother, I found the old site of the cellar pit, the pit was dug on the earthen mound, and the descendants dug a ditch next to it to build a road, and years of soil erosion led to the appearance of the statue
【Nanne Shuihong Religious Academy】
【Take me to the big brother who is looking for the cellar pit】
[The statue was unearthed in this large pit and the side was revealed]
The location of Nanneishui Village is a large basin on the east side of the Taiyue Mountains, about six kilometers in circumference, the north source of the Turbid Zhanghe River passes through the basin, suitable for agricultural production, the Western Han Dynasty once set up a county, called Ne County, the county rule was in the ancient town of Wuxiang County across the river from NanneiShui Village, in the second year of Northern Wei Yong'an (529), Ne County was renamed Yangcheng County, and in the Sui Dynasty, it was called Jiashui County, and the county rule was moved to Nanneshui Village
【See the basin where the Nanne Water is located on the map】
【The terrain around the statue pit is flat】
The Gaoping Gaomiaoshan Grottoes, more than 170 kilometers south of Nanneishui Village, do not leave a cave inscription, but the caves are engraved with the territories and names of a large number of donors, including monks from Nie County, and it can be known that the Gaomiaoshan Grottoes should have been excavated before the second year of Northern Wei Yong'an (529), and at the same time, the stone carvings of Nanneishui were also being excavated
【Inscription left by monks in Gaoping Gaomiaoshan Grottoes and Nie County】
【Gaoping Gaomiaoshan Grottoes】