The oldest and oldest historical, cultural and artistic relics on the ground in Northeast China: Wanfotang Grottoes in Yixian County, Liaoning Province.
Wanfotang Grottoes is located in the north bank of the Daling River and the southern foot of Fushan 9 kilometers northwest of the ancient city of Yixian County, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, and was hewn in the 23rd year of Taihe of the Northern Wei Dynasty (499 AD).
The grotto sits in the north and faces south, is divided into two districts of east and west, there are 16 large and small caves remaining, 12 small niches outside the cave, more than 500 statues, the statue inscription of the cave in the Northern Wei Dynasty is 2 squares. In the tenth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1474 AD), the hussar general Wang Kai built a small round tower for his mother's birthday. The Qing Dynasty repaired the stele 5 passes.
The west area of the grottoes was excavated by Yuanjing, the assassin of Pingdong General Yingzhou Prefecture, for Emperor Xiaowen to pray for blessings. On the remnant south wall of the fifth cave in the west area, there is a "Yuanjing Statue Tablet" remaining, and its calligraphy art is extremely exquisite. Qing Dynasty scholar Kang Youwei called his calligraphy "the best of the Yuan and Wei monuments", Liang Qichao commented: "His book from eight points to the present Kai, the traces are exhausted and the gods are solid", describing his words as "the bones of heaven are open, the light is shining". The Encyclopedia of China also records it, calling it "exquisite calligraphy, which can be called the best of the Wei monument".
The eastern area of the cave was dug in the third year of Jingming of the Northern Wei Dynasty (502 AD) to comfort the Khitan and make Han Zhen and the officers and soldiers stationed in the joint station pray for the blessings of the people. Han Zhen built a cave inscription tablet engraved on the south wall of the sixth cave, is a rare precious material material for studying the history of the northern ethnic groups and the history of the frontier in the mainland, and the word "Xi Dan" (Khitan) appears for the first time in the historical records. The inscription also stores political, military, geographical and other historical information of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Wanfotang Grottoes inherit the mantle of Datong Yungang Grottoes and Luoyang Longmen Grottoes, live alone in Northeast China, and become an important post station for the spread of Buddhism, Eastern and Western thoughts, culture, and art to Northeast Asia, the birthplace and transmission center of Buddhism in Northeast China, and the oldest and oldest first historical, cultural and artistic resort in Northeast China. It has extremely precious historical, religious, cultural and artistic value.
Although the scale of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Grottoes is not large, the traditional Buddhist and folk culture and art expressed are rich and colorful. The carving skills, there are complicated carvings and simple classic outlines on the cliff walls, but they all delicately express the purpose. There is no shortage of fine carvings in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Grottoes with their unique style. For example, the cross-legged Maitreya, the lotus flower on the caisson of the grotto and the flying sky and other exquisite logo-like shapes, the smiling Buddha and Bodhisattva statues, the central pillar standing in the grotto has various connotations, and the double dragons on Mount Meru are displayed in many places, and the statues have no praise clothes and belts.
The mystery and unsolved secrets of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall are the larger grottoes with the central pillar in the west area of the West No. 1 Cave in the center of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Grottoes. This grotto, non-Yuan Jing and Han Zhen excavated. can't help but be reminiscent of the ancestral home of Changxindu, Hebei, but with her grandfather Feng Hong and father Feng Lang grew up in Qianyan and Changli of the Northern Wei Dynasty - Empress Dowager Feng. The Dalinghe area of Wanfotang Grottoes was the administrative and military seat of Changli County and Changli County from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty for a long time. Adjacent to the northeast of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall Grottoes about 7 kilometers, there is a village called the Ancient Village since ancient times, on the cliff of the river on the west hill of the village, there is a remnant of the grotto.
The Wanfotang Grottoes are backed by the beautiful Fushan Mountain, and the south is bordered by the winding water. Overlooking the sea of trees and trees, looking at the ups and downs of the mountains, looking at the villages of Chengguo. The tranquil and beautiful rural scenery is refreshing.
The grottoes of the Buddha Hall through the ages carry a heavy history and culture, dignified and simple, and make people reverie infinitely.
(Text/Wang Fei)