Yangshan Statues and Cliff Carvings (Including Shifo Temple)

Yangshan Statues and Cliff Carvings (Including Shifo Temple)

The Yangshan Statues and Cliff Carvings (Including Shifo Temple) are a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Yangshan Statues and Cliff Carvings (Including Shifo Temple) are located in Qixian Town, Keqiao District, Shaoxing City, dating from the Tang Dynasty to the Republican Era.

The Yangshan Stone Buddha is located at Shifo Temple in Shantou Village, Qixian Town. The statue stands 4.50 meters tall and was carved on an isolated rock surrounded by water on three sides and connected to a Zen monastery on one side. The Buddha has a plump face and is seated in full lotus posture atop a reversed lotus base, resting on a Sumeru pedestal, representing the seated image of Sakyamuni. The polychrome plaster has peeled off, and both hands are damaged. The "Yangshan Stone Buddha Nunnery Stele Inscription" from the 32nd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1604) states: during the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (581–600), Yang Su, Duke of Yue, sent people to quarry stone here to expand the outer city, leaving behind this isolated rock. During the Tang Dynasty, Lingjiu Chan Monastery was built here, now known as Shifo Temple. Judging by its style, it is believed to be a late Tang Dynasty carving.

On January 13, 2017, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province announced it as part of the Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units