Historical Origins of Xiangtang Mountain

Xiangtang Mountain preserves a large number of cliff-carved Buddhist scriptures, making it one of the most important scripture-carving sites of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

In Cave No.2 of the Northern Xiangtang Grottoes, from the 4th year of the Tiantong reign (568 AD) to the 3rd year of the Wuping reign (572 AD), Tang Yong, the founding Duke of Jinchang Commandery, had Vimalakirti Sutra, Maitreya's Attainment of Buddhahood Sutra, Bo Sutra and Victory Sutra carved on the rock face. The process of the carving is recorded on the Stele of Tang Yong Copying Buddhist Scriptures. This well-preserved stele carries high historical value and has long attracted cultural relics experts and historians at home and abroad.

After the Northern Qi Dynasty, six more small caves were excavated in the Sui, Tang and Ming dynasties with simple carved decorations. In addition, numerous Buddha niches were chiselled on the inner and outer rock walls of the original Northern Qi caves. Among them, nearly 50 niches date back to the Sui Dynasty, the earliest of which was made in the 4th year of the Kaihuang reign (584 AD). Roughly 300 niches belong to the Tang Dynasty, mostly constructed during the reign of Wu Zetian.

Both groups of grottoes are accompanied by auxiliary architectural complexes. The ruins of Changle Temple below the Northern Xiangtang Grottoes cover 7,000 square metres, containing a pagoda built in the Song Dynasty, Buddhist scripture pillars, as well as stone tablets and Buddha statues from the Song Dynasty up to the Republic of China. Near the Southern Xiangtang Grottoes stand a Song-dynasty pagoda together with towers and halls.

In 1986, during the clearance of the outer eaves of the Southern Xiangtang Grottoes, the Stele of Fushan Grottoes from the Sui Dynasty was unearthed outside the entrance of Cave No.2. It records the initial construction of the cave and the persecution of Buddhism in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, marking a major archaeological discovery for the construction history of Xiangtang Mountain Grottoes.

The Xiangtang Temple Cultural Relics Preservation Station was founded in 1957. From 1981 to 1982, cultural relics institutions of Handan City and Fengfeng Mining District jointly conducted a comprehensive survey and precise measurement of the grottoes, set up archives, and renovated the enclosure walls and auxiliary buildings such as halls. Restoration work on the Southern Xiangtang Grottoes began in 1989.

The carvings of grottoes, Buddha statues and floral patterns on Xiangtang Mountain are elegant and magnificent. Its carving techniques served as a vital link between past and future. It stands as a key landmark representing the transitional period from Yungang Grottoes in Datong to Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang in the development of Chinese grotto art. It is also a precious treasure trove for the study of ancient Chinese Buddhism, architecture, sculpture, painting and calligraphy