The Cangzhou Iron Lion is the symbol of Cangzhou, and it is also the oldest and largest cast iron lion in China.
According to the data measured by Beijing University of Science and Technology in 2001, the Cangzhou Iron Lion is 6.264 meters long, 2.981 meters wide, 5.47 meters high and 32 tons in weight.
It is not difficult to cast such a huge iron lion in today’s industrialization, but it is not difficult to cast such a huge iron lion in ancient times a thousand years ago.
Regarding the casting method of Cangzhou iron lion, the most mainstream view at present is to use the mud Fanming casting method.
According to modern cultural relics scholars and experts in iron casting, and judging from the traces of more than 600 templates on the Cangzhou Iron Lion, the casting method used by the Cangzhou Iron Lion is the most mature metal casting method in ancient times, that is, “Mu Fan Ming Casting” Law”.
The specific general operation method is as follows: the ancient craftsmen first made a one-to-one lion mold with a mud embryo, then coated the outer layer with a mud block model, and then cut the mud block model into small pieces and dried it in the sun. When the outer layer of mud is dry, use iron nails to place the mud on the outside of the clay lion model, leaving a certain gap in the middle, which is the thickness of the iron lion’s body. When it is ready to be cast, pour hot molten iron into the hollow embryo, and after cooling, remove the outer mud block and the inner mud embryo, so that a huge iron lion appears.
However, there are still many mysteries in the casting of the Cangzhou Iron Lion, which have not yet been solved.
A local entrepreneur in Cangzhou once invested 15 million to re-cast a new Cangzhou iron lion. Using modern technology, the first time failed, the lion body was directly split, and the second time was successful.
Modern people have made a reduction judgment on the casting of Cangzhou Iron Lion from the casting experience of “Heavenly Creation” and the Yongle bell in the Ming Dynasty.
According to inference, at that time, a large pit more than six meters deep should be dug in the open area, put the iron lion mud embryos into it, and then build a high platform and a blast furnace for smelting around it. After all the preparations are done, smelt a sufficient amount of molten iron, transport it to the high platform, and pour the molten iron into it. After the casting is completed and the iron lion is cooled, dig a slope and pull the iron lion out.
However, modern methods of inference sound reasonable and reasonable, but they may not be feasible in practice.
A thousand years ago, it was extremely difficult to smelt dozens of tons of molten iron at the same time, and the temperature of each smelting furnace should be basically the same to cast at the same time. After all, the fuel at that time was mainly wood and charcoal. Furthermore, how do you pull out dozens of tons of iron lions after casting them? The Cangzhou Iron Lion once fell in the late Qing Dynasty, and it was not until the 20th century that with the help of the Soviet Union, it was lifted up with modern lifting tools. Finally, there is no record of iron ore production in Cangzhou in ancient times. To cast such a huge iron lion, the iron ore required is not a little bit, and the limited smelting technology in ancient times is even more difficult.
In addition to the amazing casting method, the casting purpose and function of the Cangzhou Iron Lion are equally mysterious.
According to historical records, the Cangzhou iron lion was cast in the third year of Zhou Guangshun (953) after the Five Dynasties. According to the records of Cangxian Chronicle, there was a Kaiyuan Temple in the old city of Cangzhou, and the iron lion was in front of Kaiyuan Temple.
The Cangzhou iron lion is called “Zhenhai Roar” by the people, and it is believed to be the mount of Manjushri, which was cast to curb floods.
In history, in the third year of Guangshun (953), there were indeed widespread floods in the north. At that time, it reached the central part of Shandong in the east and Shanxi in the west. Floods occurred in Shanxi and Hebei in the north. In folklore, the casting of the Iron Lion in Cangzhou Also related to this.
However, in the last century, Puyi once put forward a unique statement, that is, the Cangzhou Iron Lion is actually a lamp.
In the 1960s, when Puyi went to Guo Buluojin Runqi’s house as a guest, he saw a picture of the iron lion in Cangzhou. It’s just for lamp oil. Puyi immediately explained that he had seen many lion-shaped lamps in the palace with the exact same shape and materials, and this was not recorded in the book, but what he saw with his own eyes.
Puyi has lived in a place where rare treasures are piled up since he was a child, and his knowledge is extraordinary, so his words naturally have some truth.
If you put aside what Pu Yi said, and go back to the Cangzhou Iron Lion itself, there are actually many things that can be scrutinized.
Behind the iron lions in Cangzhou, there was Kaiyuan Temple dedicated to Manjusri Bodhisattva. The “Lianhua Sutra of Miaofa” also has records and descriptions such as “like a lion king, with wisdom and light, like the sunshine of the sun”. In the “Dafang Guangfo Huayan Sutra”, the wisdom lamp is directly linked to the lion. Among the ten Buddhist gods of the Vajra, the eighth one is the Lion King, the King of Light and the Vajra. It is not unreasonable that the ancients a thousand years ago meant that the Cangzhou Iron Lion pointed out the direction for people, and implied the meaning of the Buddha’s light.
What’s more, from the casting point of view of the iron lion, the lotus seat on its back is not connected to other parts, and it cannot bear the weight of a Buddha statue of the same proportion. Puyi said that it is a lamp, but it is not impossible.