Cangzhou Iron Lion----- "Sea Guard Howler"

The iron lion is an important cultural icon in Cangzhou, the city is referred to as the "Lion City". The Iron Lion of Cangzhou is a cast iron sculpture located in the town of Cangzhou in Hebei Province, about 180 km (110 mi) southwest of the national capital Beijing. Cast in 953 AD, the iron lion is the largest known and oldest surviving iron-cast artwork in China.

In the ancient times, this city was a seaport and it experienced severe tidal floodings and tsunamis. In order to avert the floods, in 953 the local people collected money and invited the famous blacksmith Li Yun to cast an iron lion to confront the sea spirits. The Iron Lion was given the grand-sounding name "Zhen Hai Hou", meaning "the Roar to Calm the Sea". It was regarded as the symbol of this ancient city.

 

The lion, facing north, opens its huge mouth widely and stares angrily into the distance. Rising up its proud head, it appears in great dignity indicative of the three characters "Shizi Wang" (The Lion King) cast on its head. It bears on its back a huge lotus seat which is said to be the throne of Wenshu Bodhisattva. It is 5.78  m high, 6.5 m long, 3.17 m wide, and has an estimated weight of 40 tons. On its back, it carries a basin-shaped lotus throne with a maximum diameter of about 2 m and a height of 70 cm. presumably; the iron lion was originally displayed inside a Buddhist temple and carried a bronze statue of the bodhisattva Manjusri on the lotus seat. The bronze statue was later removed, maybe because of the higher value of the bronze.

The iron lion was cast using a piece-moulding technique in a single mould. In this technique, which has also been used in ancient Chinese bronze-casting, a clay model of the sculpture is made and covered with a new layer of clay after drying. This outer layer of clay is then cut into pieces and removed before it dries completely. In the next step, material is taken off the surface of the inner clay model in order to provide room for pouring the iron between the outer and inner mould. Hence, "seams" visible on the cast do not represent boundaries between separate iron pieces, but are impressions of the seams between the pieces of the outer mould.

Cangzhou Iron Lion is the largest iron cast cultural relic in existence in China. It is evidence of the high achievement of casting technique in ancient China. However, because of its exposure to the elements over a long period of time, the lion is severely rusted and has cracks on its limbs. Restoration work has stabilizes the deterioration, and the effort of a team of international experts is making great strides to save this national treasure. We hope that by their hard work, the Iron Lion could regain its past stately appearance.
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