Southern Song stone sculptures at museum

The Southern Song Dynasty (1227-79) might have been weak militarily and precarious in its hold on power, but the era did leave a magnificent legacy of culture and art.

You can marvel at some of the historical relics of the period at the Southern Song Stone Sculpture Museum, located on the shore of Dongqian Lake.

The sculptures were used to decorate the tombs of four feudal prime ministers of the dynasty: Shi Hao, Shi Miyuan, Shi Songzhi and Zheng Qingzhi.

Masterpieces of stone sculpture in Chinese history are usually found in Buddhist grottoes or in imperial burying grounds in the middle of China. Those dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty are a rare exception.

The realm of emperors during this period was restricted to the south of the Yangtze River because of the invasion of the Jin, a northern group. The Southern Song Dynasty rulers turned to wine, women and poetry to drown their sorrows or military defeat. They longed for the day when they could be buried alongside the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty in Henan Province.

The tombs of the six Southern Song emperors in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province were therefore rather crudely built as temporary resting places. There were no spectacular stone sculptures to mark their tombs. Only the four prime ministers were accorded that honor.

The sculptures are quite amazing to see. Their facial expressions are vivid. Some of the statues of generals of the era stand 3.5 meters high. Their potbellies suggest very little exercise during the dynasty's somewhat unfortunate reign.

Sculptures of animals, such as goats and horses, are benign in appearance. Tigers are recreated in stone as tame cats.