Cangzhou Iron Lion

Opening Hours: 8:00 – 18:00 Ticket Price: 10 yuan per person Location: Dongguan Village, Jiuzhou Town, Cang County, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province

Best Time to Visit: Located on the coast of Bohai Bay in southeastern Hebei Province, Cangzhou features a typical warm temperate semi-humid continental monsoon climate. It has cold winters, hot summers and four distinct seasons, with an average annual temperature of about 12°C. Autumn is the ideal season for a visit.

Complaint Hotline: 0317-2080122

Transportation Guide (Local): Take the bus bound for Jiuzhou from Cangzhou Long-distance Bus Station and get off midway (fare: 3 yuan). Walk 1 kilometer east to reach the site.

The Cangzhou Iron Lion stands 16.5 kilometers northeast of the seat of Cang County Government, and 0.5 kilometers west of Dongguan Village.

It is 5.78 meters tall, 5.34 meters long and 3.17 meters wide, with a weight of approximately 50 tons. A huge basin rests on its back, which is said to be the lotus throne of Manjushri Bodhisattva. The lion faces south with its head turned southwest. Its two front left paws step forward and the two right paws stay behind, presenting a powerful striding posture that looks vivid and lifelike.

As a masterpiece of ancient Chinese large-scale iron casting craftsmanship, the Iron Lion is a renowned historical relic with a history of over a thousand years. It fully embodies the wisdom and artistic talent of ancient Chinese working people.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Iron Lion received great attention and protection from the government. It was listed among China’s first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, and multiple restoration projects have been carried out. In 1957, authorities repaired its damaged parts and paws, dug a surrounding pond and built a pavilion. Iron railings were also installed around it. However, the sheltered pavilion blocked sunlight and accelerated the iron’s oxidation, so the pavilion was demolished in 1972.

According to Records of Cang County: The Iron Lion once stood in front of Kaiyuan Temple in the old Jiuzhou City. It was 1.7 zhang high and 1.6 zhang long, carrying a large basin on its back. Inscriptions reading "Lion King" are carved on its head and neck. Seven characters meaning "Cast in the 3rd year of the Guangshun reign of the Later Zhou Dynasty" are engraved on its right neck and beside its teeth, and five characters "Made by Li Yun from Shandong" are marked on its left flank. Numerous characters cover its belly and around its teeth, most of which are blurred and incomplete. Researchers believe these are excerpts from the Diamond Sutra. The names "Dou Tian" and "Guo Baoyu" are inscribed inside its head, which are identified as the names of the craftsmen, written in ancient clerical script.

One legend claims that Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty ordered convicts to cast the lion during his northern campaign against the Khitan tribes to guard the city. However, historians argue this is implausible, for the emperor was never a Buddhist believer. Given the lion’s location in front of Kaiyuan Temple and the basin on its back, it is more reasonable to conclude that it was donated and cast by Li Yun to embellish the temple.

Historical records also note that the lion was blown down by a severe gale in the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, with its mouth, belly and tail severely damaged. Another account in Notes on Cangzhou by Zhang Yan mentions it was toppled by a strange northeastern gale in the early Kangxi reign. In the 19th year of the Guangxu reign, local officials hired masons to raise the lion and patched the broken parts with bricks and stones, yet its original appearance was never fully restored.

Folk tales have another version: The old Cangzhou area borders the Bohai Sea and was frequently hit by devastating tsunamis and floods, bringing great hardship to local residents. To curb the water disasters, people raised funds voluntarily and invited the master craftsman Li Yun to cast the iron lion as a guardian against tsunamis. It was thus named Zhenhaihou (Sea-Suppressing Roar). This statement is verified by the donors’ names and donation amounts carved on the lion’s body.

To sum up, there are three main theories about the origin of the Iron Lion:

Since Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty did not believe in Buddhism, the first theory is widely dismissed. The second and third versions are considered more credible.