Baigongdi stone building

Baigong dyke is Shantang street, from changmen to Huqiu, next to Shantang River, about seven Li long, known as Qili Shantang. It was built by Bai Juyi, a poet of Tang Dynasty, when he was appointed governor of Suzhou. In memory of Bai Juyi, later generations also called Shantang Street Baigong dike. In 1610, the Baigong dyke was in disrepair for a long time, and many parts of it were washed down by water. Monk Muling vowed to raise money to build the dyke. With all his sincerity, more than 1000 Suzhou officials, gentry, local merchants donated money to help build the dyke. After the completion of the project, fan Yunlin and Wang Zhideng each wrote a story of rebuilding the Baigong dyke, which was erected between Qingshan bridge and Lushui bridge. The former was a monument, while the latter was a building. After several centuries, the whereabouts of the monument are now unknown. In 1981, the monument was rediscovered in the site of ganluluyuan during the cultural relics investigation. In 1983, it was moved to jianfangting beside the tomb of five people for protection.

The stone buildings of baigongdi are unique in shape, exquisite in carving and rich in content. Most of the writers, elixirs, portraits, inscriptions and donors are famous people in Wuzhong at that time. It is a precious cultural relic of Ming Dynasty with Buddhist color and an important historic site recording the history of baigongdi (Shantang Street).

Baigongdi stone building

Located next to the tomb of five people at 775 Shantang street outside changmenwai, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City in 1982.

Baigongdi stone building

Baigong dyke is Shantang street, from changmen to Huqiu, next to Shantang River, about seven Li long, known as Qili Shantang. It was built by Bai Juyi, a poet of Tang Dynasty, when he was appointed governor of Suzhou. In memory of Bai Juyi, later generations also called Shantang Street Baigong dike. In 1610, the Baigong dyke was in disrepair for a long time, and many parts of it were washed down by water. Monk Muling vowed to raise money to build the dyke. With all his sincerity, more than 1000 Suzhou officials, gentry, local merchants donated money to help build the dyke. After the completion of the project, fan Yunlin and Wang Zhideng each wrote a story of rebuilding the Baigong dyke, which was erected between Qingshan bridge and Lushui bridge. The former was a monument, while the latter was a building. After several centuries, the whereabouts of the monument are now unknown. In 1981, the monument was rediscovered in the site of ganluluyuan during the cultural relics investigation. In 1983, it was moved to jianfangting beside the tomb of five people for protection.

Description of baigongdi stone building

Baigongdi stone building, commonly known as square stele, is a square column, which is composed of three parts: base, body and top, with a height of 3.16 meters. The front of the building is engraved with the record of rebuilding Baigong dyke, which was written by Wang Zhideng in December of the 39th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (January of 1612). The article is simple, written in regular script, and most of the handwriting can be recognized. There are two parts in the inscription, namely "record" and "inscription", describing the process of rebuilding Baigong dyke from the 38th to 39th year of Wanli, praising the spirit of monk Muling's vow to raise money to build the dyke and Han Yuanshan, the magistrate of Changzhou County, taking the lead in donating money to help repair the dyke. On the back is engraved a line drawn by monk Muling, depicting the statue of Dashi to Bodhisattva, and on the bottom is engraved the names of Muling changbaxing and the people who donated to build the dike. There are more than 1000 people, including Shen Shixing, Zhang Fengyi, Wen Zhenmeng, Feng Shike and Liu Hongdao. However, the handwriting is now blurred and most of them are illegible. On the left side is a line carved statue of 500 venerable figures, inscribed with the inscription "disciple Zhou tingce worshipped and wrote, and Mu Ling made a stone.". On the left side, there is a picture of Han Shan and Shi De by Xue Mingyi. On the top, there are Chen Yuanyuan and Han Shan Zi's poems by Xue Mingyi. On the top of the building, there is a statue of Maitreya Buddha sitting in the center, and four statues of Maitreya Buddha sitting in relief on each side. The base is decorated with Xumi mountain and cirrus.

Precious cultural relics of Ming Dynasty

The stone buildings of baigongdi are unique in shape, exquisite in carving and rich in content. Most of the writers, elixirs, portraits, inscriptions and donors are famous people in Wuzhong at that time. It is a precious cultural relic of Ming Dynasty with Buddhist color and an important historic site recording the history of baigongdi (Shantang Street).

Address: beside the tomb of five at 775 Shantang street, changmenwai, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province

Longitude: 120.585072

Latitude: 31.329189

Ticket information: Free

Chinese PinYin : Bai Gong Di Shi Zhuang