Ruins of the Guanyin Hall

Ruins of the Guanyin Hall

The ruins of the Guanyin Hall are a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

A newly excavated stone floor slab to the north of the Lengxiang Pavilion at Tiger Hill in Suzhou has been confirmed by archaeological experts from the Suzhou Museum as the site of the Song Dynasty Guanyin Hall. Its cultural relic value is second only to that of the Tiger Hill Pagoda within the hill.

Historical records show that the stone Guanyin Hall underwent multiple instances of destruction and reconstruction. The head of the archaeological team said that after the year 1074, during the Xining era of the Song Dynasty, when “fine stones were sought to carve statues and covered with a stone chamber,” the hall was destroyed in the early Ming Dynasty, rebuilt and expanded in the mid-Ming period, destroyed again in the late Ming Dynasty, repaired in the early Qing Dynasty, and destroyed once more around the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign. It was then reconstructed during the Tongzhi era, resulting in the three-courtyard layout reflected in the currently excavated site. The stratigraphic layers, material quality, and remnants such as “gold foil” found among the unearthed fragments of the stone Guanyin statue serve as highly significant evidence. Based on the excavated relics and historical documents, archaeologists have also reconstructed the original form of the stone Guanyin Hall and its roof.

The structure of the stone Guanyin Hall, with its foundation and walls (built) using Wukang stone, featured a wooden, hanging-roof style for the roof.