Hundred Lions Memorial Archway

Hundred Lions Memorial Archway

The Hundred Lions Memorial Archway is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ancient city of Shanxian is world-famous for its historically significant and finely built memorial archways. According to the Republican-era edition of the *Shanxian County Annals*, from the Song Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, more than a hundred memorial archways were constructed in the area. By the late Republican period, 34 still stood. Throughout the main streets of the city, exquisite archways soared overhead, lending an air of gravitas and solemn beauty to the ancient town. All of Shanxian’s memorial archways were dedicated to celebrating chastity and filial piety. Built entirely of stone, they featured four pillars and three bays, with multi-tiered roofs and intricately crafted dougong (bracket sets), showcasing elaborate structures and majestic presence. Their layout was linear, with finely carved four pillars and lintels depicting motifs such as intertwined dragons and clouds, cranes and phoenixes soaring, the Eight Immortals celebrating longevity, or the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. Among the many archways, the Hundred Lions Archway and the Hundred Longevity Archway stand out for their grandeur, ingenious structure, meticulous patterns, exquisite openwork carvings, and beautiful legends—hailed both domestically and abroad as matchless masterpieces. For over 200 years, the two archways have attracted countless visitors from China and beyond. In 1977, they were designated as Provincial-Level Key Cultural Relics Protection Units, bringing fame to Shanxian far and wide.

Commonly known as the Zhang Family Memorial Archway, the Hundred Lions Archway is located at the eastern end of Zhangjia Archway Street in Shanxian, Shandong Province. It was built in the 43rd year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1778 AD) in honor of Madam Zhu, the wife of the literary scholar Zhang Pu. Constructed from blue stone in imitation of wooden architecture, the entire structure is covered in carvings. It is nine meters wide, approximately fourteen meters tall, with four pillars and three bays in a five-story hip-and-gable roof style. The central bay features six dougong brackets under the eaves, while the side bays each have three brackets on the upper and lower eaves. The archway is well-proportioned, with balanced and harmonious design elements throughout. The stone carvings on the archway—including lions, dragons, peonies, mythical creatures, and elephant statues—not only display a perfect blend of strength and grace but also achieve a dynamic yet serene expression, making them strikingly lifelike. Eight carved columns are divided into eight groups, each featuring ten exquisitely detailed stone lions, totaling one hundred. The larger lions have large heads, curly manes, bulging eyes, prominent noses, wide mouths, sharp teeth, and sit firmly in a majestic and powerful stance. Each big lion has five small lions climbing on its body, each in unique poses and full of vivid expressions: some playfully tussle with each other, some scratch themselves for fun, some are pinned under the big lion’s feet, crouching low with heads tucked and legs stretched as they push upward, while others lie on the lion’s legs, either kissing its calves or playing with its collar bells. Their tender and affectionate demeanor is truly moving. The front, left, and right sides of the lion pedestals feature bas-relief round and square carvings of lions playing with embroidered balls, with groups of lions leaping, tumbling, and competing for the ball. The four coiling dragons carved on each pillar twist and turn gracefully amid billowing auspicious clouds. The upper and lower lintels of the central bay, the lintels of the side bays, and the frame around the “Imperial Edict” plaque under the central eave are all adorned with hollow-carved depictions of “two dragons playing with a pearl.” The stone dragons glare fiercely, wave their claws, sway their heads and tails, appearing as if leaping or flying through the air. The middle lintel of the central bay features a three-layer hollow-carved “interlocking branch peony” design. The king of flowers blooms delicately amidst the clouds, with petals half-open, branches and leaves flourishing, exuding an air of noble luxury that dazzles the eye and fills the heart with fragrance. The composition and craftsmanship of the carvings reach an almost supernatural level of artistry. Despite its symbolic meaning of “prosperity for ten thousand years,” what captivates people most is the exceptional artistry. Under the eaves, animal-shaped dougong and ruyi-patterned brackets support the structure, while the ridge corners are adorned with intricately carved creatures such as mythical beasts, elephants, decorative beasts, lions, fish, seahorses, and running beasts—all vivid and expressive. The dragon’s tail curls outward as if swallowing the ridge; the elephant carries a treasure vase, looking charmingly naive. At the center of the main ridge sits a sculpture of two dragons facing upward, jointly holding something bottle-like, towering like a stupa finial. Other sections—such as the ridges, central panels, bracket arms, and areas around the lion carvings—are also decorated with bas-relief or flat carvings of auspicious motifs like kui dragons, peonies, chrysanthemums, cranes, longevity symbols, and swastikas, representing meanings such as “prosperity in unity” or “long life for the whole family.” It is said that a stone-carved birdcage once hung from the hole on the lower lintel of the central bay, with a stone bird inside, looking remarkably lifelike. Overall, the archway boasts an exquisitely structured, grand and magnificent design, with fine, delicate carvings that are intricate yet not chaotic, with clear primary and secondary elements—truly a rare masterpiece of Qing Dynasty stone carving art.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units