Longjin Stone Pagoda

Longjin Stone Pagoda

Longjin Stone Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Locals also call Longjin Stone Pagoda "Flower Pagoda Elder." It was an ancient feng shui pagoda used to subdue water. The entire pagoda is not very tall, featuring a single-story square body with a square bamboo-jointed corner pillar base, and topped with a spire. The front of the pagoda features a bas-relief of a half-body Buddha statue, with carvings on both sides depicting figures with folded hands and swords slaying demons, as well as Buddhist incantations. The back is inscribed with the words "Erected in the Gengchen Year of Jiading."

Located to the north of Shenzhen, the ancient town of Shajing is economically prosperous and rich in ancient culture. The preserved ancient architecture in the town includes large residences, fortresses, ancestral halls, private schools, temples, watchtowers, and ancient pagodas, forming a very rich architectural complex. Among these ancient structures, one of the more important is a stone pagoda. Although not very large, the carvings on the pagoda reflect many Buddhist features. This pagoda was built in the 13th year of the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1220), and has a history of 800 years.

This Longjin Stone Pagoda is located at the entrance of a lane slightly north within the town. The pagoda is square in plan, approximately 1.8 meters high, with lotus-jointed pillars carved at the four corners of the base, and a niche door carved on the front. The body of the pagoda is also square, with a deeper niche carved on the southern face, inside which is a half-body Buddha statue. Judging from the hand gesture, it is the "two fingers pinched, three fingers extended" mudra, which represents the Goddess of Heavenly Music. When the Goddess of Heavenly Music arrived at Vulture Peak, it was raining, and seven treasures lotuses appeared, along with hundreds of musical instruments playing spontaneously. She offered ten thousand kinds of music to the Buddha and received the divine sound. According to the interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, the meaning is almost the same. On the upper part of the eastern face of the pagoda, there is also a niche, inside which a hand holds a long sword diagonally. This sword is called the "Wisdom Sword," capable of cutting through all afflictions, and is immensely powerful.

The pagoda top is designed with a four-sloped roof, with flat and straight eaves. Below the eaves is a mixed eave, which is an ancient architectural fireproof eave. The tip of the pagoda is crowned with a precious bead. The shape and carvings of this stone pagoda are rich in content, as previously described. The base and the body of the pagoda are carved with many niche-style patterns, some of which are slightly modified variants. This is a schematic often used in Buddhism.

From the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Ming and Qing periods, such niche patterns were commonly used on stone pagodas and buildings. Additionally, the eaves use a "mixed" style. This is a simplified technique and also a method used at the lower end of the eaves, essentially serving as a fireproof eave. Within the short span of 150 years during the Southern Song Dynasty, the construction of a square stone pagoda in Shajing, as far as is currently known, apart from the treasure casket-style pagoda and the seamless pagoda, makes this square stone single-story pagoda a unique example.

According to the "Xin'an County Annals" from the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty: During the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Salt Commissioner built a bridge over the river in Shajing Village. On the day the bridge was completed, the river roared with surging waves, as if dragons were leaping. Therefore, the Dragon Subduing Stone Pagoda was built by the riverside to subdue the water. The pagoda was carved from coarse sandstone, with the body measuring only 0.44 meters in length and width, and 0.6 meters in height. The pagoda features a bas-relief of a half-body Buddha statue, as well as 42 characters that have become blurred. Experts have confirmed that Longjin Stone Pagoda holds significant historical, artistic, and cultural value, serving as solid evidence of the long history of Shenzhen and Shajing.

Longjin Stone Pagoda is the oldest existing above-ground structure in Shenzhen and holds great significance for the study of the development of Buddhism and architectural history in the Shenzhen area. In December 2015, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province by the People's Government of Guangdong Province.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guangdong Province