The Ancient Mulan Temple Stone Pagoda and Nanmu Pavilion

The Ancient Mulan Temple Stone Pagoda and Nanmu Pavilion

The Ancient Mulan Temple Stone Pagoda and Nanmu Pavilion are Yangzhou municipal cultural heritage protection units.

The Mulan Temple Stone Pagoda and Nanmu Pavilion

Now designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit, the site is located within a green island on Wenchang Middle Road in the city center. Originally built in the third year of the Tang Dynasty's Kaicheng era (838 AD), it was initially housed in the Ancient Mulan Temple outside the west gate. Between 1237 and 1240 during the Southern Song Dynasty’s JiXi period, it was moved to its current location, and additional stone railings were added during a renovation in the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Qianlong. Major restoration work was conducted in 1964. The pagoda is designed in a pavilion-style imitation form, with five levels and six sides, standing 10.09 meters tall in total. Each side of the Sumeru pedestal features carvings of deer, horses, cattle, and other figures, while the stone railing panels on the pedestal depict cloud-dragon and lotus patterns. Judging from the carving style, these elements date back to the Ming or Qing dynasties. Each corner of the pagoda’s body is adorned with circular engaged columns. The top of the pagoda has a hexagonal spire and a gourd-shaped finial. On the first, third, and fifth levels of the pagoda body, there is an arched doorway on the north and south sides of each level, while the other sides of each level feature relief carvings of Buddha statues—twenty-four in total. Situated in the central green island of Wenchang Middle Road, the pagoda base should be raised as a whole due to cultural heritage preservation requirements.

Further Reading:

· Yangzhou’s First to Third Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units