Dragon and Phoenix Screen Wall of the North Mosque

　　Linxia brick carving enjoys fame both at home and abroad. In Beixiang (North Lane), one of the thirteen alleys in the Eight Blocks of Linxia City, there stands the North Mosque. In front of the mosque is a brick-carved screen wall known as “Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness,” which has a long history and remains largely well-preserved. The screen wall consists of three brick carvings. At the center is a design known as “Ink Dragon Appears Thrice,” flanked on both sides by “Phoenix Arrives Heraldically.”

　　The screen wall is, without doubt, an artistic, cultural, and historical masterpiece — an extremely precious relic existing in Linxia City and also the biggest historical enigma of the local culture. When was it first built? Who was the brick carving artist, the Lotus Pond Taoist? What is the origin and meaning behind the patterns? These have always been historical mysteries of Linxia. Moreover, the fact that this screen wall has survived through the trials of history and legend to remain intact to this day is no small feat. Therefore, exploring its historical culture and unraveling these historical mysteries is highly meaningful.

　　I. Legendary Tales of the Dragon and Phoenix Screen Wall’s Perilous Preservation

　　According to Ma Baike, an elder and the educational supervisor of the North Mosque, the eyes of the two dragons — large and small — and the two phoenixes were originally inlaid with gemstones. He recalled hearing from elders in his childhood that if a thunderstorm was approaching, the dragon eyes would glow, exuding a moist aura, and soon after, rain would indeed fall. When viewed in the rain, it seemed as if the great dragon appeared amidst the clouds and rain, vivid and lifelike. At night, the dragon eyes would emit light, visible from far and wide. There was also a saying that the dragon eyes and phoenix pupils were night pearls. Later, a Western missionary came to Linxia to preach. One night, the dragon eye gemstones and a mysterious stone used for washing clothes and vegetables under a bridge (said to be a meteorite fallen from the sky) were stolen, and the foreign missionary vanished along with them into the annals of history. From then on, the dragon and phoenix lost some of their luster, no longer able to predict the weather or shine at night. Later, when peace somewhat returned, local gentry replenished the gemstones in the dragon and phoenix eyes, but they never regained their former brilliance and clarity. In the 17th year of the Republic of China, Zhao Xipin, the military governor of Hezhou, caused a military disaster by setting fire to the Eight Blocks. The dragon and phoenix screen wall was spared from destruction thanks to Ma Sanbao’s life-risking protection and thus preserved. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, during campaigns such as the Campaign to Destroy the Four Olds, the Campaign to Eliminate the Four Pests, and the Cultural Revolution, people covered the screen wall in mud and repurposed it as a “Loyalty Character Platform,” painting propaganda images of Chairman Mao meeting... , thereby preserving the dragon and phoenix screen wall.

　　Ma Baike, now a septuagenarian, shared an interesting story about protecting the dragon and phoenix screen wall: In 1966, at the peak of the Campaign to Destroy the Four Olds and Establish the Four News, the Red Star Commune decided to demolish this screen wall, which they regarded as symbolic of so-called feudal remnants, in order to build a “Loyalty Character Platform.” They assigned Zhou Gacheng, a mason who lived near Linxia Market Courtyard Gate, to be in charge of tearing down the screen wall and constructing the platform. So, Zhou Gacheng arrived at the North Mosque gate with all his demolition tools: hammers, chisels, shovels, and more. At that time, Ma Baike, then in his twenties, happened to be at the North Mosque gate. He saw Zhou Gacheng laying out all his demolition tools on the ground, while nearby, several children around ten years old were climbing and playing in front of the dragon and phoenix screen wall. Zhou Gacheng, however, was crouching in front of the screen wall, staring at it intently, sighing and shaking his head from time to time. After about an hour, Zhou Gacheng suddenly stood up and said, “What a pity, how can we demolish this?” Then he left without packing up his tools. In reality, Zhou Gacheng had gone to the commune to ask for instructions and learned that the commune wanted him to turn the screen wall into a “Loyalty Character Platform” by simply painting an image of the Chairman. So, Zhou Gacheng came up with a plan. Excitedly, he gathered his helpers and transported old earthen wall debris from Xi Guan Primary School to the North Mosque gate. He mixed straw into the soil, used the mud-straw mixture to wrap the entire dragon and phoenix screen wall, turning it into a solid wall, and then painted the “wall surface” with white lime. In this way, he “successfully completed” the task.

　　Later, the commune sent for painter Ma Yaoliang to paint portraits of Chairman Mao and... on the finished wall, along with popular poetry slogans of the time. Ma Yaoliang added a bit more white to the eyes of ...’s portrait. Later, he was asked to paint a portrait of Chairman Mao going to Anyuan at the Loyalty Character Platform in front of the nearby Wang Mosque. When he reached the part of the leader’s feet and found the wall space insufficient, he added a few rocks to cover the area. When a few people asked why he didn’t paint the feet of the Chairman and instead painted rocks, Ma Yaoliang replied, “The Chairman is strolling behind the rocks.” Because of this remark and incident, he was reported by his ink-washing apprentice and subsequently charged with a crime, leading to imprisonment.

　　II. Initial Interpretation of the Dragon and Phoenix Screen Wall Designs The screen wall of the North Mosque features a full-body dragon and phoenix design, measuring 12.3 meters in length, 6.6 meters in height, and 0.8–1.0 meters in thickness. It is entirely constructed from blue bricks. The wall, having endured the test of time, remains solid with tightly packed mortar joints, showcasing architectural craftsmanship comparable to modern cement walls with colorful outlines. The composition presents three interrelated carved patterns. At the center is a pattern of a large dragon and a small dragon — the larger above and the smaller below. Upon closer inspection, one sees the large dragon resembling a father appearing auspiciously in the clouds above, its body segmented into three sections (upon careful observation, five sections can be seen) amid auspicious clouds. The smaller dragon peeks its head out from below in reverence, with the rest hidden within watery mist. Hence, this brick carving pattern is called “Ink Dragon Appears Thrice” or “True Dragon Bequeaths Offspring.” On the left side is an inscription reading “By the Intention of Lotus Pond Taoist” along with two carved seals: “Qian Yin” and “Zhou Shi ? Seal.” Observing the main dragon image in the carving, it alternates between hiding and appearing, coiling amidst dark clouds, emitting clouds and mist. Its gaze shows deep affection as it looks toward the smaller dragon in the accompanying design, while the smaller dragon, crying out, seems to respond to its father floating above the fields. Both dragons are depicted in profile. The large dragon, enveloped in clouds, appears elongated with six clear bends totaling twelve, two feet with three claws, a large head, column-like horns resembling a qilin’s, a stern and fierce expression, no mane on its head, a sawtooth-like lip rim around its mouth, and what seems like a tightly closed mouth, as if holding back inner excitement — a fatherly love as solid as a mountain, showing restrained emotion. Two sturdy, long dragon whiskers flow backward, and the visible dragon body resembles snake scales, with distinct serpentine features. The dragon tail droops and splits into nine leaf-like sections. The smaller dragon is almost entirely submerged in ocean waves, only its head visible, mouth wide open, teeth and tongue fully displayed, crying out as its tail swims, seemingly trying to leap from the water in search of an embrace. Interpreting this image evokes two feelings: one, the design is vividly lifelike, the father-son bond as deep as heaven and earth, with an atmosphere of thunderclouds and rain nourishing all life; two, the father roams the vast skies and rivers, searching for his beloved son across boundless waters, hoping for his son’s strength and vitality. On either side of this dragon design are symmetrical carvings of “Red Phoenix Facing the Sun” and “Colorful Phoenix Greeting the Moon,” also known as “Back-Arched Phoenix” and “Belly-Up Phoenix.” The “Back-Arched Phoenix” is on the right, the design solemn and graceful, with dignified beauty. It features carvings of wutong trees, peonies, and pines, with water ripples and rocks at the bottom symbolizing mountains and rivers. The “Belly-Up Phoenix” is on the left, accompanied by wutong trees, orchids, and rocks, with a red moon and auspicious clouds in the upper left, and water ripples and lingzhi mushrooms with rocks symbolizing peace and prosperity of the land at the bottom. The phoenixes on both sides include wutong trees, and their postures are elegant and lifelike. Observing both phoenix designs, one sees one bowing its head while the other lifts its belly, complementing the large and small dragons. Although slightly smaller in size than the central design, the overall carving displays extremely fine craftsmanship, with delicate lines, vivid imagery, and a majestic aura, exuding an imperial grandeur — a design that could only have been created by master artisans of official workshops. The entire brick-carved screen wall features traditional entwined branch patterns with square frames. Each design border is adorned with auspicious and harmonious motifs. Both the top and bottom have “Prosperity Entwined” frame patterns, with wedge-shaped designs in the upper frame recesses — one depicting a lonely fledgling bird perched alone in a nest, the other a secluded scholar amid cold, fragrant chrysanthemums (symbolizing entrusting an orphan to a hermit). The top is engraved with traditional Chinese architectural elements: dougong brackets, beams, ridge ornaments, a dragon on the right and a colorful phoenix on the left, blue tiles and crimson steps, all rich, dignified, grand, and centrally balanced.

　　There is a stone stele inside the North Mosque, erected in 1995. The inscription states that the screen wall (or mirror wall) of the North Mosque in Linxia City was built during the Xin You year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty (1741), making it 272 years old to date. Its top is built in a wood-like structure, with “Ink Dragon Appears Thrice” in the center, “Red Phoenix Facing the Sun” and “Colorful Phoenix Greeting the Moon” on the sides. Its overall symbolism is “Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness.” It is the oldest surviving large-scale ground brick-carved screen wall.

　　In short, the Dragon and Phoenix Screen Wall possesses rich cultural depth and historical significance. Having withstood dynastic changes, witnessed the shifts of history, and reflected unique local customs, it is an extremely important historical and cultural heritage. For this reason, the North Mosque screen wall, from any perspective, is a “treasure” of ancient Hezhou. We should strive to protect and study it, and uncover its historical and cultural legacy as much as possible. (By Ma Zhan Yun and Cao Xiao Dong)

　　Dragon and Phoenix Screen Wall of the North Mosque