Laojun Rock, Qingyuan Mountain, Quanzhou泉州清源山老君岩
- Type
- Grotto Statuary
- Location
- China · Fujian · Quanzhou · Southern foot of Qingyuan Mountain, Fengze District
- Coordinates
- 24.942, 118.6 Map ↗
- First built
- Song Dynasty · Carved from a natural boulder in the Northern Song (one tradition holds the Southern Song); originally accompanied by a Zhenjun Hall and a Beidou Hall, which were abandoned in the Ming, leaving only the statue
- Heritage status
- Stone Statues of Qingyuan Mountain: Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1988)Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song–Yuan China — related UNESCO World Heritage Site (2021)
Overview
Laojun Rock is the largest surviving Daoist stone sculpture in China, a seated statue of Laozi carved in the Song dynasty from a natural granite boulder, 5.63 meters high, 8.01 meters wide, and 6.85 meters thick. Laojun sits on the ground, his left hand resting on his knee and his right hand leaning on an armrest, his beard and brows flowing, his expression serene, and the folds of his robe rendered in fluid lines — a masterpiece of Song-dynasty sculpture. The statue originally stood within a Daoist temple, called "Yuxian Rock" by people of the Song; after the temple buildings were destroyed in the Ming, it has stood in the open ever since. Qingyuan Mountain, a famous mountain of Quanzhou, also preserves Song- and Yuan-dynasty Daoist stone carvings such as the "Images of the Three Pure Ones" (at Bixiao Cliff, Yuan dynasty) and a large number of cliff inscriptions. Laojun Rock was listed in 1988, as part of the "Stone Statues of Qingyuan Mountain," as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level; Quanzhou was the "foremost port of the East" in the Song and Yuan, and its Daoist stone carvings bear witness to the coexistence of multiple religions during the era of the Maritime Silk Road.
Highlights
- Song-Dynasty Stone Statue of Laojun
- Yuan-Dynasty Images of the Three Pure Ones, Bixiao Cliff
- Cliff Inscriptions