[2025 Suide Attraction] Travel Guide for Shihun Square (Updated Apr)

🚗In fact, before passing by Suide, I didn’t know that the stone lions here were so famous. 🦁After visiting the Shihun Square in Suide, I learned that Suide is a famous "hometown of stone carving" in China. The stone carving technique has a history of more than 2,000 years, dating back to the Qin and Han Dynasties. The stonemasons of Suide are famous for their exquisite carving skills, especially the carving of stone lions, which has become one of the most representative art forms in the area. The stone lions in Suide are not only numerous, but also of various shapes. There are both giant stone lions and small stone lions on the kang head, showing the diversity and profound heritage of stone carving art. 🦁The most famous thing about Shihun Square is the pair of giant stone lions in the center, which are 19.5 meters high and are known as "the best stone lions in the world" or "the best lions in Asia". These two stone lions are mainly in the Tang and Song styles, while also incorporating elements from the Ming and Qing dynasties. They are made up of 1,194 pieces of stone. Inside such a large stone lion, there is actually a stone lion museum, which displays more than 300 stone lion exhibits of different styles since the Han and Tang dynasties. The base of the stone lion is the auspicious beast Bishi (symbolizing longevity and good fortune), which implies the heroism of the people of Suide. There is actually a Buddha statue placed inside the stone lions. 🦁At the entrance of the square, there are 34 6.6-meter-high stone lions with stone bases, arranged in rows with a rigorous formation and staggered layout, showing the long history and exquisite craftsmanship of Suide stone carving skills. 🦁All the stone lions have different shapes. I thought the stone lions were the embodiment of majesty and might, but some of their shapes are very cute, while others are very abstract. 🚗If you have the opportunity to come to Suide, don't miss it.

A stunning stone carving visual feast is hidden in Suide County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, where the world's first lion is located—Stone Soul Square. Here, every stone tells a thousand-year-old story. The original site of Stone Soul Square was named 'Shiren Canal,' which once had a 3-meter-high stone man that was later destroyed. It was then planned as the main entrance of the 'Loess Culture Style Park' and named Stone Soul Square. The giant stone lion in the center of the square stands 19.5 meters high, and the stone lion museums built inside the bellies of the giant lions on both sides (not yet open) are also quite distinctive. The stone lion, as a kind of mascot in Suide folklore, is deeply loved by people. Suide is a famous hometown of stone carving in Shaanxi, with a long history and rich cultural heritage in stone carving art. Suide's stone lions are not only widely spread locally but also sold domestically and internationally, hence Suide is known as the 'Kingdom of Stone Lions' and the 'Hometown of Stone Lions.' 📍Address: No. 2 Chaoyang Road, Suide County, Yulin City 📆Opening Hours: Open all day ⏳Tour Time: 1 hour 🎫Ticket: Free

🗓Itinerary: Self-driving from Xi'an to Erlianhot to Suide 🚉Transportation Guide: Xi'an to Huangdi Mausoleum to Suide From Huangdi Mausoleum to Suide, about 330 kilometers, 4 hours. 📝Tips: There are many large vehicles when exiting the highway, the roads in the county are narrow, be careful of oncoming traffic. ❤Recommended Reason: Suide, meaning 'to pacify the people with virtue'. Suide County is one of the sub-center cities of Yulin City, established in 1226 AD, and is an old revolutionary area in northern Shaanxi. 👍Most Recommended: Two 'mosts': The world's first stone lion bridge, Qianshi Bridge, with 1008 stone lions in various postures, more than the stone lions on Lugou Bridge in Beijing. The world's first stone lion, Shihun Square, the stone lions are quite amusing and funny. ✅Must Experience: Qianshi Bridge: Located on the Wuding River, built in 1987, the bridge is 310.77 meters long and 14 meters wide, a 12-hole stone arch bridge. 🌟Highlight Features: Shihun Square: Chinese Stone Lion Culture Exhibition Park, completed at the end of 2016, the eye-catching giant lion statue is carried by the legendary dragon's son Bixi, 19.5 meters high, known as the world's largest stone lion (the world's first lion), symbolizing longevity and good fortune. The 21-meter-high stone lion totem pole, the lion column path composed of 34 lion columns, the five-drum 'Gu' harvest, the lion cliff, the dragon column, the stone city tower, the 'stone soul' screen wall, the mountain wall, and the northern Shaanxi cave dwellings. 🍽Food Recommendations: Oil swirl with pig head meat, lamb offal . The sandwich is a bit salty, the lamb offal is delicious .

"The world's number one lion" is built on the Stone Soul Square of the Loess Culture Park in Suide County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. The two giant lion sculptures, male and female, are 19.5 meters high. Inside the giant lion is a stone lion museum, which is the first of its kind in China and abroad. The two giant lions are modeled after the stone lions of the Tang and Song dynasties, incorporating the characteristics of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The base of the giant lion is designed as a mythical beast, symbolizing longevity and good luck. Inside the two stone lion sculptures, a stone lion museum is being built, which will display various forms of stone lions, showing Suide's "lion" culture and stone carving art. The project leader introduced that after completion, the mouth of the "world's first stone lion" can accommodate more than ten people, the mouth of the lion is more than 2 meters high, and more than 3 meters wide. Suide in Yulin, Shaanxi is a nationally renowned town of stone carving, and the most skilled of the folk stone carvers is carving stone lions. In July 2013, the county built two giant stone lions - "the world's first stone lion". Female lion The female lion is 19.5 meters high and is carved from 1117 pieces of stone. The female lion is located to the west of the square, with the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva in its mouth and two playful lion cubs at its feet. The female lion on the west side of the square Male lion The male lion is 19.95 meters high, carved from 1119 pieces of stone, and is the largest stone lion in China to date. The male lion is located to the east of the square, with the wisdom-representing Manjushri Bodhisattva in its mouth. The carrier of the stone lion is a mythical beast, it is said that both the lion and the beast are the sons of the dragon, and the beast "has infinite strength and can carry the three mountains and five mountains". Male lion The base is a mythical beast There are 44 bun-shaped curls on the lion's head, like clouds flying around, as if recording the texture of time. The base is carved with traditional patterns symbolizing good luck, such as group longevity, bats, and ten thousand characters. Pattern on the male lion's head Stone Lion Museum Inside the giant lion is a stone lion museum, which is the first of its kind in China and abroad. The main exhibition area is in the hall on the first floor of the giant lion's belly. The hall is supported by three stone pillars, each of which is divided into four layers, each with stone lions from different periods as the main carving content. Cross-section of the stone lion structure Inside the giant lion is a stone lion museum that combines nature, culture, folklore, architecture, and stone lions. The museum is a pair of male and female lions, divided into A and B halls, each with four exhibition areas, rescuing, collecting, restoring, and reappearing the stone lion masterpieces scattered among the people, exhibiting more than 300 pieces of stone lion exhibits of different styles since the Han and Tang dynasties. The fourth exhibition area is located in the mouth of the giant lion, which is a religious culture exhibition area. The two halls are carved with Guanyin Bodhisattva and Manjushri Bodhisattva respectively. Museum inside the lion The hall is supported by three stone pillars, and the pillars are carved with classic stone lion patterns from different periods. Stone pillars in the museum The walls of the museum are carved with small niches in the shape of cave dwellings, displaying stone lions from different periods and cultural backgrounds. Some stone lions inside the Stone Lion Museum The lintel in front of the hall of the Stone Lion Museum has a unique "Suide Wuxiang" stone carving. Suide has the reputation of "Yangko, folk song, suona, paper cutting, stone carving" five folk cultures. In the middle of the stone carving, two dancers are holding a Boshan stove, one with a drum around his waist and the other with a suona; the left one is a female with scissors in her hand, cutting paper; the left two is a male with a hammer around his waist, holding a stone lion; the right one is a female singing a folk song, with a bird on her foot as if singing; the right two is a male dancing with an umbrella. "Suide Wuxiang" stone carving