Haichunxuan Pagoda

Haichunxuan Pagoda

Haichunxuan Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Haichunxuan Pagoda, located by Haigou River on the west side of Tai Shan Hu Guo Chan Temple in Xixi, Dongtai City

This pagoda is entirely constructed of brick and tile. It is a seven-story, octagonal structure about 21 meters high, with a base diameter of 7.2 meters at the bottom level. Each story and each side features a niche housing a deity statue. The pagoda is hollow with no internal staircase, has no foundation, and was built directly on muddy ground. Despite repeated earthquakes and floods, it still stands firmly as ever. The pagoda’s finial is a bronze gourd, cast from “fire signal bronze,” which shimmers in seven different colors depending on the sunlight.

According to the Dongtai County Annals compiled during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty: “Haichunxuan Pagoda is located south of Xixi, east of Guangfu Temple. Legend says it was supervised by Yu Chi Gong of the Tang Dynasty, and the pagoda’s top bears an inscription.” At that time, it was built to subdue the sea and aid navigation, hence it was also called the “Sea-Subduing Pagoda.”

Haichunxuan Pagoda was originally named the “Filial Piety Pagoda.” Legend has it that Yu Chi Gong, a founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, fled with his mother through Xixi in his childhood. At that time, Xixi was a seaside fishing village. Whenever fishermen went out to sea and encountered thick fog or storms, maritime disasters would occur. In such times, the beaches would be filled with the cries of the elderly, weak, women, and children, creating a very sorrowful scene. Yu Chi’s mother, a kind-hearted elderly woman, would always shed tears at the sight but was powerless to help. She could only instruct Yu Chi Gong: “If you ever make something of yourself in the future, be sure to build a pagoda here. Light a bright lamp atop it so that fishermen can discern their direction when going to sea, reducing the loss of life. That is the way of a virtuous man!” Yu Chi Gong knelt and replied: “I will respectfully follow your teachings, Mother, and engrave them in my heart.”

Later, Yu Chi Gong indeed rose to prominence, assisting Emperor Li Shimin in founding the Tang Dynasty and unifying the realm. Having prospered, Yu Chi Gong did not forget his childhood experiences or his mother’s instructions. He petitioned Emperor Taizong Li Shimin to build a pagoda in Xixi, and the emperor granted his request. Therefore, the people of Xixi called this pagoda the “Filial Piety Pagoda,” also known as the “Yu Chi Pagoda.”

The “Filial Piety Pagoda” stands tall on the shore of the Yellow Sea. Its bronze finial shines brightly. Ships approaching it from the sea would have their captains immediately inform the crew to prepare for harbor entry. Once past the pagoda, everyone worked together to navigate the perilous “Sea Channel Entrance.” Only after passing through could they breathe a sigh of relief. Legend says the pagoda’s finial was cast from an imported, wind-dispelling precious bronze, causing typhoons to bypass the area—thus it was also called the “Sea-Calming Pagoda.” The pagoda’s construction brought great blessings to coastal fishermen. Xixi also flourished due to its abundant seafood. Every spring during the fishing season, a large variety of seafood was brought to market, attracting merchants from north and south, making the area bustling with activity.

By the Dali era of the Tang Dynasty, when the Salt Transport Commissioner of Huainan, Li Cheng, was ordered to excavate the Salt River and build the Changfeng Dyke, he visited the pagoda. Upon learning that the pagoda had various names and seeing the bustling spring seafood market—with many pavilion-style corridors serving as fish trading areas—he cheerfully named it “Haichunxuan Pagoda” and composed a poem: “To the east lies the General’s Platform, to the west a stream flows to Huai; the spring tides of Haixuan flourish, all thanks to this pagoda.”

Wu Jiaji, a poet of the common folk in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, wrote in his poem “Seeing Off a Guest at Xixi”: “Shimmering light over the Buddha hall, the pagoda’s shadow weighs upon the fishing boats.” The pagoda referred to here is Haichunxuan Pagoda.

As time passed, this thousand-year-old pagoda still stands firmly to this day. Although its role as a navigational beacon gradually faded due to the continuous eastward shift of the coastline, because Xixi is a Buddhist sacred site, Haichunxuan Pagoda has long become a totem of worship and prayer for the people.

After the founding of New China, Haichunxuan Pagoda received funding for repairs from the government in 1955, 1964, 1982, and 2004. In 1959, it was designated as a cultural relics protection unit by the Dongtai Government. In 1984, it was announced as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Jiangsu Provincial Government and has been well preserved. It is now a symbol of Dongtai’s ancient civilization.

On August 4, 2004, while renovating Haichunxuan Pagoda, construction workers discovered that beneath the iron covering of the pagoda’s top was a two-layered structure. Inside the existing pagoda body was another, more exquisitely crafted and finely materialled pagoda. The bricks used were also blue bricks, closely structured with almost seamless joints, and the mortar was made purely from glutinous rice juice. The double-layered pagoda body can be clearly seen from each niche above the second floor. This adds an even more mystical touch to Haichunxuan Pagoda, inviting endless wonder from visitors.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units