Qianfoya Grottoes in Jingxing

Qianfoya Grottoes in Jingxing

The Qianfoya Grottoes in Jingxing are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hebei Province.

The Qianfoya Grottoes in Jingxing are located in Qishi Village, Nan Zhangcheng Town, Jingxing County, and feature a combination of Buddhist and Taoist stone carvings. Carved in the fourth year of the Heqing era during the Northern Qi Dynasty (565 AD), they were rebuilt during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty by stonemasons Wu Decao and Wu Deyong from Lincheng County. The stone walls are layered and arranged with thousands of Buddha statues, making them a provincial-level protected cultural relic. Outside the cliffs are ancient pines that are nearly a thousand years old. There are five stone steles, all of which are inscriptions recording the renovation of the Thousand Buddha Cave.

Inside the Thousand Buddha Cave, three large Buddha statues are carved into the surrounding walls, along with thousands of smaller niches. Among them are multiple inscriptions from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and one from the third year of the Yuanyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty. However, the inscription from the ninth month of the Yuanyou third year, which mentions Tianwei (now Jingxing, Hebei) official Wang Qiao and Zhenyang (now Zhengding County, Hebei) clerk Wang Tai coming here after inspecting dry farmland and walking up from the foot of the mountain, then lighting a fire to explore the deep cave before returning, does not refer to any Buddha statues. Therefore, the claim that Wang Qiao and others must have visited here when the statues were already present is somewhat far-fetched.

However, not far from this inscription, on the wall near the cave entrance on the northern wall, there are also inscriptions such as “Weina Pengcheng Liu Gui donated twenty-five Buddha statues / Weina Wang Zhi donated thirty-five Buddha statues / Weina □□□ donated thirty-seven Buddha statues,” but it is unknown when these were carved. As a result, there is no clear evidence regarding the exact time when the carving of the Buddha statues in the ancient Thousand Buddha Cave began. But based on the numerous inscriptions from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, it is known that during this time, the site was highly active in worship, and statues from both Buddhist and Taoist traditions appeared together—for example, the Water Department Three Officials statues commissioned in the first month of the 21st year of the Jiajing reign by Cheng Yu, a male benefactor and devout man, his son Cheng Zongli, female devotees Zhu and Gao, head monk Yuanqin, and disciple Zhuzhu from Beixiulin Village.

For research on the Qianfoya Grottoes in Jingxing, reference can be made to Gao Shitao’s "Investigation Record of Buddhist Art Relics in Hebei" and Sun Wenbo’s article "Investigation and Research on the Qianfo Rock Caves in Jingxing, Hebei."

Transportation Guide

Location: Qishi Village, Nan Zhangcheng Township, Jingxing County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

Transport: Take a bus from Jingxing County to Nan Zhangcheng Township, then transfer to a minibus to Qishi Village.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Hebei Province