Hebei four treasures, have seen the three treasures, today to see the last treasure one one Cangzhou iron lion. Cangzhou Iron Lion, also known as "Zhenhai Roar", is located in the southeast suburbs of Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, 16 kilometers away from Cangzhou City.
The "Cangzhou Chronicle" records that the iron lion was in front of the Kaiyuan Temple in the old state city, seven feet high and six feet long. Carrying a huge basin, there are three words "Lion King" on the top of the head and on the neck, seven words of "Great Zhou Guangshun Three Years Cast" on the right side and the edge of the teeth, and "Shandong Li Yunzao" on the left rib. There are many handwriting inside and outside the abdomen and teeth, but the annihilation is incomplete, and those who have knowledge later say that it is the "Diamond Sutra".
Kaiyuan Temple.
According to the University of Science and Technology Beijing, the iron lion was cast in the third year of the Later Zhou Guangshun (953), more than 1,000 years ago. The iron lion is 6.264 meters long, 2.981 meters wide and 5.47 meters high. The bottom diameter of the lotus pot on the back is 1 meter, the diameter of the upper mouth is 2 meters, and the height is 0.7 meters, which can be removed. The iron lion's head weighs 3.5 tons, the basin weighs 3 tons, and the total weight is 31.5 tons.
Regarding the origin of the iron lion, there are several theories: one says that the later Zhou Shizong Chai Rong was built for the city of Zhencangzhou during the Northern Expedition to the Khitans; the second is that the iron lion is located in front of the Kaiyuan Temple in Cangzhou, has a scripture in its abdomen and carries a lotus flower treasure pot, which should be the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva; the third says that the iron lion alias "Zhenhai Roar" is considered to be a strange beast built by the local residents for Zhenhai. In ancient times, the Cangzhou area was close to the sea, the sea water was often flooded, the tsunami harmed the people, and the local people raised funds to invite Shandong people Li Yunzhu lion Zhenhai to eliminate the flood, and the three theories were more reliable.
The Ming Dynasty people wrote poems for the iron lions of Cangzhou.
The Qing Dynasty people wrote poems for the Iron Lion of Cangzhou.
The Iron Lion is cast in layers and segments, using more than 600 blocks to cast.
Cangzhou Iron Lion is a national key cultural relics protection unit.
The Cangzhou Iron Lion provides valuable physical materials for the study of ancient Chinese metallurgy, sculpture and Buddhism, which is worth seeing.