Yunnan Has a Remarkably Unique Scenic Area: 3268 Stone Lions from Different Dynasties – How Did They Come to Be?
As a famous spring city in China, Yunnan has a spring-like climate all year round, with flowers blooming in every season, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. When people travel to Yunnan, they naturally want to visit local famous scenic spots such as (Erhai Lake) and Lijiang Ancient Town.
Today, we'd like to introduce a very special and not-so-well-known scenic spot to you. It is covered with 3268 stone lions of different dynasties. How did these lions come to be?
This unique scenic spot is located in Jianqian County, Dali, Yunnan Province. So many stone lions are located on Qianqian Mountain. This mountain was formerly known as Manhanlin in history, and later became known as Qianqian Mountain because of the abundance of stone lions on it.
Tracing the history of Qianqian Mountain, we find that as early as the Ming Dynasty, it began to take shape. Even renowned geographers and travel enthusiasts such as Xu Xiake have visited this place and left their footprints. However, when Xu Xiake came, the mountain was not yet full of stone lions, only vast forests and a small temple, and pilgrims came to pray for blessings.
These stone lions are all carved in the past few decades, and there are now a total of 3268 stone lion statues. Upon closer inspection, we find that the number of stone lions is so large, but their shapes are almost all different, which shows the thoughtfulness of the designers. According to local people, these stone lions were referenced from stone lion statues of different dynasties, thus having such a different style.
The stone carving masters utilized local materials, using the large number of unremarkable stones here to create the entire Qianqian Mountain. This perseverance is truly admirable. Of course, these stone statues were not created by one person, but the culmination of the hearts of all local stone carving masters.
Additionally, some stone lions were donated voluntarily by collectors. We can see that some of the stone lions here are very majestic and fierce, while others are cute and adorable.
There are three stone lions connected together by the stone carving masters, two large lions seem to be holding hands and looking at each other, and the small lion is nestled beside the two large lions, creating a happy and harmonious scene, which is known as 'Three Lions' Blessing',
That's all for today's introduction. Next time's 'Outstanding World' will take you to even more interesting places!
