The story appears on

Page B8

December 12, 2014

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Pagoda’s ancient artifacts on display for 1st time

LEIFENG Pagoda has stood silently watching over Hangzhou for more than 1,000 years. It has been destroyed and rebuilt and is famous nationwide due to a tragic legend of ill-fated lovers.

Built on a hill above West Lake the pagoda looks majestic, especially at sunset.

The pagoda is open to visitors today but it’s underground palace has been off limits since it collapsed 90 years ago.

The underground palace has been a veritable gold mine for archaeologists and historians as numerous invaluable artifacts were discovered when the pagoda was restored in 2000.

The antiques are now on display for the first time at Zhejiang Museum. The exhibition includes eight top-level national relics and a model of the underground palace.

Relics include a silver sculpture of Asoka Pagoda, a gold and copper Shakyamuni statue, an engraved copper mirror, Buddhist scripture rubbings, gold belts, silver plates and accessories.

The rubbings date back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-979). There are the only known rubbings from that period, helping art historians learn more about ancient calligraphy.

In addition, the unearthed Buddhist statues and other exhibits also feature superb workmanship, epitomizing the quality of ancient carving techniques.

According to historic documents, Leifeng Pagoda was erected during the Five Dynasties and Ten States Period by Qian Chu, the then emperor of Wuyue Kingdom (present-day Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai). It is the only pagoda built in this period showcasing the architectural style of the Wuyue Kingdom.

Originally the pagoda was named Huangfei, which means imperial concubine. It is said the emperor built it after one of his concubines gave birth to a boy and it was also a place to pray for auspiciousness and prosperity.

During construction, piles of Buddhist scriptures and statues and other treasures were put in the underground palace, where they remained for more than 1,000 years.

The pagoda has been damaged several times. It was ruined during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) but restored during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Japanese pirates invaded China’s coastal areas. They besieged Hangzhou and set fire to the pagoda, burning everything but its brick body. It remained that way for hundreds of years until it collapsed in 1924.

Leifeng Pagoda is best known, perhaps, for the legend of Madam White Snake. Set in the Southern Song Dynasty, the story tells of a young scholar who falls in love with a 1,000-year-old white snake that had taken the form of a beautiful woman.

However, a monk said it was against nature’s laws for humans and spirits to fall in love. The snake was imprisoned for eternity in a well at Leifeng Pagoda.

The legend has inspired several movies and TV series, among which “The Legend of White Snake” debuted more than 20 years ago and is still broadcast from time to time.

During excavation work in 2000, numerous superstitious individuals were curious as to whether a white snake would be found in the underground palace. Of course, no such snake was found.

 

Date: Through November 30, 2016

Venue: Gushan Pavilion, Zhejiang Museum, 138 Nanshan Rd

Admission: Free




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend