Ruins of Xingguo Temple

Ruins of Xingguo Temple

The Ruins of Xingguo Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Statue of Zhangba Buddha is located on the ruins of Xingguo Temple, north of Zhangba Village, Hubin Town, Boxing County, Shandong Province. In 1992, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Shandong Province. The statue was carved in the first year of the Tianping era during the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534 AD). It is a freestanding round sculpture made of bluestone, standing 7.1 meters tall in total, with the figure itself being 5.6 meters high. It features a high usnisa, a square face, and large ears. The Buddha wears a cross-collared kasaya draped over both shoulders, with an inner sanghati and a belt tied at the chest. Both hands are in the abhaya and varada mudras, and the figure stands barefoot on a double-lotus pedestal. The front of the pedestal is embossed with a muscular figure, a Boshan incense burner, and a kalavinka. The sides and front of the pedestal feature four groups of 26 donor figures.

The statue was carved in the first year of the Tianping era during the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534 AD). Beneath it lies a rammed earth platform, 2.3 meters high, though its exact area remains unclear. During the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550–559 AD), there was a Grand Hall dedicated to Zhangba Buddha. The statue was repaired during the Sui, Tang, Song (Huangtong and Tianjuan eras), Ming (Chenghua and Wanli eras), and later periods. By the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang era, the temple layout included the Main Hall (Zhangba Buddha Hall), the Three Buddhas Hall, and the Guan Yu Hall, arranged in a fan-shaped layout. By the late Qing Dynasty, the temple had fallen into disuse, leaving only the Main Hall. In the early Republican period, the hall was destroyed, leaving the statue exposed. During the Cultural Revolution, the head of the statue was removed, but it was reattached by villagers in the late 1970s. In 2001, with the support of national and provincial cultural relic authorities, the county’s cultural heritage department received a donation of over 4 million yuan from lay Buddhist Shenzhen Outongguo, which was used to construct the Zhangba Buddha Protection Courtyard. Covering an area of 9,450 square meters, the courtyard includes a main gate, the Zhangba Buddha Protection Hall, a rear hall, and side chambers.

The main cultural relics associated with the Zhangba Buddha include one inscribed stele, standing 200 cm tall and 60 cm wide and thick. Its four sides are carved with images of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, donors, and flying apsaras. Judging by its style and craftsmanship, it is believed to be a work from the Northern Wei Dynasty. This stele was stolen in July 1998. Additionally, there are three other stone tablets: the “Ming Chenghua First Year Xingguo Temple Restoration Stele” made of bluestone with a guishou top, measuring 174 cm (remaining height), 78 cm wide, and 22 cm thick; the “Ming Wanli Xingguo Temple Restoration Stele” made of bluestone with a guishou top, measuring 174 cm (remaining height), 82 cm wide, and 20 cm thick; and the “Qing Daoguang Sixth Year Xingguo Temple Restoration Stele” made of bluestone in a rectangular shape, measuring 205 cm high, 80 cm wide, and 25 cm thick.

The Zhangba Buddha Stone Statue is currently the largest single freestanding round sculpture from the Northern Dynasties period discovered in China’s plains region. The statue is relatively well-preserved, exquisitely carved, vividly shaped, and features smooth lines. It is a rare artistic treasure of stone carving from the Northern Dynasties period in China, and can also be considered a typical representation of Buddhist statuary from the Eastern Wei Dynasty in northern China.

Source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism