Fangshan Wanfo Hall Flower Pagoda

Fangshan Wanfo Hall Flower Pagoda

The Wanfo Hall Flower Pagoda is a closely-eaved pagoda located on a mountain peak near the Wanfo Hall and Kongshui Cave in Wanfo Hall Village, Fangshan District, Beijing. It is part of the fifth batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites and was a key cultural relic rescue project in Beijing. Restoration began in the spring of 1995 and was completed in 1996.

On either side of Wanfo Hall stand ancient pagodas from the Liao and Yuan dynasties. To the left of Wanfo Hall is the Liao Dynasty–era Wanfo Hall Flower Pagoda, built during the Liao Dynasty. It has a brick-and-concrete structure, originally standing 30 meters tall and now measuring 24 meters. The upper part of the pagoda is shaped like a bamboo shoot and is adorned with small niches, each housing a Buddha statue. Below each niche is a carved brick decoration of an elephant or lion head extending outward. The lower part of the pagoda features a circular, floral-cluster-shaped body. According to research by the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau, it is one of only two flower pagodas in the Beijing area. (The other is the Zhen'gang Pagoda, built during the Jin Dynasty in Fengtai.)

To the right of Wanfo Hall stands the octagonal, seven-tiered, closely-eaved “Linggong Monk Relic Pagoda,” built during the Yuan Dynasty. This ancient pagoda is approximately 18 meters tall and also evolved from a wooden, pavilion-style pagoda. The first level of the pagoda is decorated with carvings of niches, Buddha statues, windows, doors, and brackets. These two pagodas have stood the test of time, and the decorative patterns on them reveal the influence of traditional culture, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, feng shui, and the concepts of yin and yang on the thinking of people at that time.

Standing on the mountain beside the Wanfo Hall Flower Pagoda and looking into the distance, you can see remnants of temples with green stone tiles hidden among lush pines and cypresses, as well as newly built residential communities, all spread out before your eyes.

Location

Wanfo Hall Village, Fangshan District, Beijing