Unfinished Stone Carvings at Maojiadang

Unfinished Stone Carvings at Maojiadang

The unfinished stone carvings at Maojiadang are a cultural relic protection unit of Yinzhou District.

The unfinished stone carvings at Maojiadang are located on the eastern side of Shanghua Mountain in Maojia Natural Village, Guangxi Village, Yinjiang Town, Yinzhou District. They were created around the late Northern Song Dynasty and were originally buried among the quarry slag in Maojiadang and its eastern and northeastern areas. After being discovered, they were collected and placed at their current site.

Among these unfinished stone carvings, the warrior statue placed furthest to the north is the most complete, with only the lower part of the figure left uncarved. The entire statue stands 2.84 meters tall and has shoulders 0.47 meters wide. The civil official statue has only the head completed and is slightly shorter than the warrior statue, standing 2.47 meters tall with shoulders 0.47 meters wide. The southern warrior statue is less complete, with only the face carved, standing approximately 2.76 meters tall and with shoulders 0.50 meters wide. A stone tiger and a turtle pedestal are placed overlapping each other; the stone tiger is mostly formed, while the turtle pedestal only has its outer contour carved. The five stone figures have an ancient and simple aura, with exquisitely carved facial expressions and costumes. Despite over a hundred years of weathering by rain, they are largely well-preserved.

Maojiadang is a locally renowned stone quarry site, in operation since approximately the Song Dynasty. The stone produced there was mainly used as building material in the Ningbo area. These unfinished stone carvings may have been discarded defective pieces intended for early tomb carvings when the stone was found unsuitable for carving. Their discovery indirectly confirms the search for suitable Meiyuan stone to the northeast and identifies the quarrying period. The history of stone carving adds another physical example for studying the local quarrying culture. In September 2010, it was announced as the ninth batch of district-level cultural relic protection units in Yinzhou District, and in 2016, it was transferred to Yinzhou District following the administrative division adjustment of Ningbo City.

Guangxi Village: Nestled against mountains and beside water, Guangxi Village is located in the central area of Yinjiang Town and serves as the hub of the town’s economic development. It governs four natural villages (Maojia, Guangxi, Xiaoxi, and Dingshan), covering a total area of 4.6 square kilometers, including over 600 acres of cultivated land and 4,600 acres of forested land. The village has 963 households, with a registered population of 2,220 people, including more than 3,000 non-agricultural migrant residents, 85 Party members, and over 200 private enterprises. In 2008, the total industrial and agricultural output value reached 702.39 million yuan, with collective village funds available amounting to 1.8 million yuan, and the per capita net income of farmers was 1,100... More detailed information about Guangxi Village++