Haiqing Temple Pagoda

Haiqing Temple Pagoda

Haiqing Temple Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located by the Da Village Reservoir in Yuntai Township, Lianyungang City, it is also known as the "Da Village Pagoda." This pagoda was built to enshrine the "true body relics of Sakyamuni" and the "sacred tooth of King Ashoka," hence its name "Ashoka Pagoda." As it was originally constructed in front of Haiqing Temple, it is also called "Haiqing Temple Pagoda." According to the inscription embedded on the southeast side of the fifth floor, construction began in the first year of the Tian Sheng era (1023 AD) of the Northern Song Dynasty and the name was inscribed on the fifth level of the Ashoka Pagoda in the ninth year of Tian Sheng (1031 AD), when the statue of the Buddha was enshrined there. The project was completed on the third day of the second month in the ninth year of Tian Sheng, making it nearly a thousand years old. The halls from ancient times no longer exist.

??? However, based on the survey of the ruins’ scale, the general layout can be roughly restored. The pagoda was built on the central axis, in front of the mountain gate. Behind the pagoda were the front mountain gate (three bays) with the plaque name “Haiqing Temple.” The main hall had three bays, flanked by side halls each with three bays. The layout of the pagoda and temple did not follow the old methods of Buddhist temples from China’s Northern Wei Dynasty, where the pagoda was placed in front of the main hall. Nor did it completely conform to the post-Tang and Song dynasty architectural style where the main hall took precedence. Nevertheless, it still aligned with the central axis. Thus, this pagoda is a valuable example in the evolution of Buddhist temple architecture in China's history.

??? The pagoda is a nine-story, octagonal structure modeled in a certain style. Its relative height is 40.58 meters (excluding the base). The body of the pagoda, the central pillar, the inner corridor stairs, the waist eaves, and the spire are all made of brick. The entrance faces south, with arched gates on the east, west, south, and north sides. A corridor runs along the outer wall, enclosing an octagonal brick column at the center that houses the staircase. The first-floor entrance is on the southwest side, the second floor on the south side, the third and fourth floors on the northwest side, with the staircases forming a cross shape across the levels. The ninth floor has no brick column or corridor, but instead an octagonal brick chamber topped with an octagonal caisson ceiling. There is a staircase on the eastern side, which turns southward allowing access to the top of the pagoda.

??? In appearance, the first floor is relatively tall, with the plaque name “Deep Roots and Firm Base.” The lower part of the first floor features corbelled waist eaves, while the second to ninth floors all have level terraces with corbelled waist eaves. The bracket sets (dougong) on the first-floor terrace use the five-component, double-bracket, uncentered style. At the corners, the dougong are augmented with carved corner deities to support the structure.

??? The eave structures protrude outward using stacked bricks, forming a concave profile. By the ninth floor, the height increases, and bracket sets are used under the eaves in a four-component style. The third to eighth floors feature arched gates on the east, west, south, and north sides, while the other sides have hidden straight windows. On the fourth and sixth floors, stone steles are placed beside the southern gates and in the straight windows on the east, west, and southwest sides. The ninth floor has gates on both the north and south sides. The proportion of height to diameter on each level is reasonable and well-balanced. The outer contour lines are softly curved, giving the entire structure a majestic and solemn appearance.

??? Haiqing Temple Pagoda was listed as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1956. In April 1955 and September 1972, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and the Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Management Committee invited Professor Chen Congzhou from the Ancient Architecture Department of Tongji University in Shanghai to inspect the pagoda twice, resulting in the reports “Inspection Record of Haizhou Haiqing Temple Pagoda” and “Preliminary Inspection and Restoration Suggestions for the Ashoka Pagoda at Haiqing Temple in Lianyungang City.” The department allocated funds for restoration, and work commenced in November 1974, completing by the end of 1976. Haiqing Temple Pagoda was largely restored. Except for the ninth floor and the spire, which were reconstructed with reference to the Leidi Pagoda, the rest of the structure remained in its original form.

??? According to local chronicles and historical records, since the Han Dynasty, the area has experienced 18 earthquakes of varying magnitudes, six of which caused landslides and collapsed city walls. In the seventh year of the Kangxi era during the Qing Dynasty (1668 AD), a major earthquake (magnitude 7.82) struck the capital region. Haizhou suffered “partial collapse of the city walls” and “many collapsed houses,” yet Haiqing Temple Pagoda showed no signs of tilting or uneven subsidence. In 1978, the State Seismological Bureau and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage listed this pagoda as an ancient structure with earthquake-resistant capabilities.

Further Reading:

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