Ancient Temple Ruins of Zhuanghuotou

Ancient Temple Ruins of Zhuanghuotou

The Ancient Temple Ruins of Zhuanghuotou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Zhuanghuotou Village is located 15.5 kilometers northwest of Gaocheng District and belongs to Jiumen Hui Ethnic Township. About 1.5 kilometers to the south is the Hutuo River. It is said that there was a river to the northwest of the village, flowing from the northwest to the southeast along the ancient city of Jiumen. At that time, the river had a strong current and could carry boats and goods. This river served as a natural defensive barrier for the ancient city of Jiumen, and was also a waterway for transportation to various places. As a result, there was a bustling transport dock north of Jiumen City, where ships came to load and unload cargo, hence the name “Zhuanghuotou” (Loading Cargo Head). Later, the river changed course, the dock dried up and was abandoned, gradually turning into farmland. The villagers later renamed the place Zhuanghuotou, and the name has been used to this day.

The ancient temple ruins are located close to the eastern side of the village and connect to the ancient city of Jiumen, covering a total area of 80,000 square meters. The current terrain is flat with fertile soil, and beneath the surface layer of cultivated earth lies a rich abundance of cultural remains, extending to a depth of about 1.5 meters. The discovery of the Zhuanghuotou ancient temple site dates back a long time. According to villagers’ recollections, farmers unearthed Buddha statues while farming here in the early years. Due to superstition, no one took them home but instead discarded them by the roadside ditches and other places. According to local accounts, there used to be a dried-up well at the edge of a field, which contained many abandoned stone statues and ornaments.

The construction date of the ancient temple in Zhuanghuotou cannot be confirmed at present. The author has not found any documented records about the ancient temple of Zhuanghuotou, but only read in the Ming Jiajing Annals that Zhijuyi Temple was located inside the city of Jiumen, built in the third year of the Tang Shangyuan era (674 AD), commissioned by Dong Xingsi, who passed the imperial examination in four subjects, to write the inscription. It is now defunct.

However, based on the geographical location of the ancient temple ruins of Zhuanghuotou and the unearthed cultural relics, inscriptions, and the records in the county annals do not match. Investigations revealed that a large number of stone carvings were buried at Jiumen Middle School. When the courtyard was renovated, stone Buddha statues were unearthed and then reburied. It is suspected that these might be the Zhijuyi Temple recorded in the county annals. The two temple sites are still under further investigation and verification to clarify their respective dates and the cultural significance of the artifacts.

In 1999, when constructing the ethnic road from Jiumen to Tanxia in Wuji, earthworks were carried out in the southern part of the ruins, and over a hundred fragmented stone statues were discovered in an abandoned pit. All were made of white marble, with some still bearing traces of gilding. These included 15 Buddha statues and back-relief Buddha figures, 16 small head sculptures, 20 pedestals of various shapes such as Sumeru-shaped, round, inverted-lotus, upright-lotus, square, cloud-shaped, and mortise-and-tenon styles, as well as fragments featuring double-lion Bo Mountain incense burners, coiled-dragon entwined Bodhi trees, flying apsaras, muscular guardians, and donor figures.

Among them, 13 pedestal fragments bore inscriptions. The inscriptions in the middle include:

On the fifteenth day of the first month in the eighth year of the Wuding era, Jia Baoyou’er, Bai’er A’ming, and A’qian brothers and sisters from Jiumen County respectfully commissioned the crafting of a Duobao statue, praying for the seven generations of ancestors of the nation, all sentient beings in border regions, to attain immortality together.

On the eighth day of the fourth month in the fourth year of the Wuding era, devout woman Tian Rong commissioned the crafting of a Yutian statue, praying for Emperor Lu, monastic masters, parents, siblings, husband Zhang Nong, all related beings, and sentient beings in border regions to attain Buddhahood together.

On the ninth day of the eighth month in the second year of the Huangjian era, Bhikkhuni Faxi of Beilin Temple commissioned the crafting of a meditative statue for her deceased disciple (name missing).

On the fourth day of the ninth month in the seventh year of the Tianbao era, devout woman Xing San and Sheng Zhen commissioned a jade statue, praying for the Emperor, parents, monastic masters, and deceased (names missing), for the elimination of disasters and suffering, and for rebirth in a blessed realm.

On the twentieth day of the ninth month in the (year) of Tiantong (missing character), Faxiang Jian, commissioned a statue for her deceased sister Faxiang and deceased disciple Falian.

On the twenty-seventh day of the sixth month in the second year of the Daqi Heqing era, Bhikkhuni Fayuan Yang Yuanjiang commissioned a meditative statue for her deceased female novice monk Faxing.

The stone Buddha statues unearthed from the ancient temple ruins of Zhuanghuotou feature exquisitely fine carving techniques, with intricate openwork carvings, skilled relief carving, smooth lines on clothing, and naturally lifelike forms—truly remarkable craftsmanship. All unearthed statues are made of fine white marble, smooth, delicate, and pure white in color, clearly originating from the high-quality white marble produced in Quyang. This site was approved as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit by the Gaocheng Municipal Government in 1999.

Address: Located in Zhuanghuotou Village, Gaocheng City