In the south of Sanyuanta Park in Leizhou, there is a newly built stone dog in Leizhou, which is known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in the South. Thousands of people gathered inside and outside the exhibition hall. They have a wide variety of shapes, both in form and spirit, and are lifelike, which makes people feel like they have returned to ancient Leizhou and have a unique flavor.
The largest stone dog in Leizhou is1.3m high and weighs about 800kg, while the smallest is only10cm high and weighs about 0.5kg..
Leizhou is located at the southernmost tip of the mainland of China. In ancient times, Baiyue people lived in rural areas, such as Jiaonan in Zhou, Shang Yue, Xiang Jun in Qin, Xuwen in Han Dynasty and Leizhou in Tang Dynasty. The common people are the ancestors of Leizhou. In ancient times, when productivity was low and ignorance existed, they could not explain and subdue the strange phenomena in nature. In order to survive and develop, we rely on the shape of everything as a totem and turn it into spiritual power. They lived together for a long time and integrated the totems of various tribes in their production and life, forming the dog totem worship in the Spring and Autumn Period.
Leizhou ancient dog is the product of the fusion of multi-ethnic folk culture under the social history and regional natural conditions of Leizhou, and it has strong religious belief. It has evolved from "totem worship", "auspicious news", "patron spirit" to "owner pet", and has formed and developed into a stone dog culture with unique folk characteristics in Leizhou.
Carving auspicious clouds and thunder patterns on stone dogs is the inheritance and development of Leizhou ancestors' worship of Raytheon culture.
Leizhou stone dogs exhibited in the exhibition hall are typical of the times and regions collected from various urban and rural areas in Leizhou. The largest is 1.3 meters high and weighs about 800 kilograms. The smallest is only 10 cm high and weighs about 0.5 kg. Its shapes are various, such as concrete, abstract, anthropomorphic and the difference between literature and martial arts. It is diverse and vivid. In particular, the huge genitals show the masculinity of men and reflect the desire of ancient Leizhou ancestors to punish in order to reproduce.
Qicai Leizhou Shigou
With the development of history, the stone dog's image carving technology has changed from simple and rough to vigorous and elegant, with equal emphasis on meaning and happiness, which embodies the rich imagination and bold artistic creation of Leizhou people and is a treasure of Leizhou ancient carving art.
Leizhou Stone Dog has a long history. Today, with the prosperity of science, stone dogs are still enshrined in urban and rural areas of Leizhou, especially in remote mountain villages. The consciousness of worshipping stone dogs is still very strong. But most villages just inherit and appreciate the stone dog as a folk culture.
Leizhou stone dog is the best in the world, and Leizhou stone dog culture is unparalleled in the world. Due to historical reasons, it has had a general impact on surrounding areas and countries and played a role in promoting cultural exchanges.
Leizhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government attaches great importance to the excavation, protection and utilization of folk stone dog culture, extensively collects stone dogs with cultural relics value, and establishes Leizhou stone dog culture exhibition hall to provide precious materials for the study of Leizhou stone dogs. Leizhou folk stone dog culture can be inherited and developed, and this wonderful folk custom is even more dazzling. Zhanjiang not only has such a profound history and culture, but also various local Han folk cultures have a long history and are profound. Leizhou stone dog is called "the best in the world". In Leizhou, wherever you go, whether it's a museum, a village entrance, an ancient road, a lane entrance, a doorway, a Shuikou or an ancient tomb shrine, you can see statues of stone dogs sitting or squatting. It can be said that as long as there are buildings and doors, there are stone dog statues. We know that although loyal dogs are often used to guard their homes, stone lions are the most common patron saint, but it is rare to replace them with stone dogs. But in Leizhou, few stone dogs are stationed at the door.
It is said that the origin of Leizhou stone dogs can be traced back to the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. Li, Liao, Yao, Tong and other ethnic minorities from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River were the early ancestors living in Leizhou. Due to the backwardness of civilization and productivity, Leizhou ancestors need to rely on a certain species as a totem to pray for shelter. At that time, Yao people believed in dogs as their ancestors, and stone dogs became totem symbols, which were passed down to the assimilation of Yao and Han.
In Leizhou Stone Dog Exhibition Hall, we saw more than 200 stone dogs of different ages collected from the people, with different shapes and styles. Due to long-term wind and rain erosion, they are either gray or indigo, but they are still lifelike. According to the curator, the earliest stone dog found at present belongs to the pre-Qin period. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, stone dogs in various dynasties have been unearthed.
It is said that there are 15000 to 25000 ancient stone dogs in Leizhou, which are called "Leizhou Terracotta Warriors" scattered among the Han people. There are not only a large number of stone dogs in Leizhou, but also a wide variety, including regional type, era type and era regional type; There are primitive classes, abstract classes, concrete classes and personalized classes; There are both literary and military images. Stone dogs in different times have their own characteristics and distinct levels, from simple to rough, from simple to elegant. The evolution and development of their shapes reflect the social civilization of Leizhou in an era and people's worship of Telford. For example, the stone dogs in Qin Dynasty were rough and square, which reflected people's recognition of the theory of heaven and earth at that time. Stone dogs in the Han Dynasty are simple and abstract, showing people's awe of nature.
Leizhou stone dog is a treasure of ancient sculpture art. The Leizhou Municipal Party Committee, the municipal government and cultural departments at all levels attach great importance to this heavy traditional cultural heritage of the Han nationality, and actively do all kinds of protection work, not only collecting stone dogs left by the people extensively, but also organizing experts to study and sort out relevant documents, so that the stone dog culture can shine in Leizhou. In 2004, Leizhou Stone Dog was included in the first batch of 18 pilot projects of China National Folk Protection Project. At present, a large stone dog garden exhibition hall is under construction. By then, tourists from all over the world can enjoy the complete Leizhou stone dog culture when they come to Zhanjiang.