Feiying Pagoda

Feiying Pagoda

Feiying Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Feiying Pagoda was originally located within the Relic Stone Pagoda Courtyard on the west side of Huzhou’s Feiying Temple. The temple was first built in the fifth year of the Xiantong era (864) during the reign of Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty, renamed "Shangcheng Temple" in the fifth year of the Zhonghe era (885) under Emperor Xizong, and finally acquired its current name in the second year of the Jingde era (1005) during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. The inner pagoda was constructed in the fourth year of the Zhonghe era (884), but later collapsed and was abandoned. The existing stone pagoda was rebuilt during the Shaoxing era (1131–1162) of the Southern Song Dynasty. The outer pagoda was initially built during the Kaibao era (968–976) of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the 20th year of the Shaoxing era (1150), the pagoda was struck by lightning and collapsed, then was reconstructed during the Duanping era (1234–1236) of the Southern Song Dynasty. It underwent multiple renovations during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Legend has it that Feiying Pagoda was built by Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian, for his beloved Feiying. Chen Baxian was the founding emperor of the Chen Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period and was a native of Changxing, Huzhou. Born into poverty and orphaned at a young age, he grew up in Changxing where martial arts were popular, and he trained diligently from childhood, eventually mastering excellent combat skills. He was tall and strong, with a powerful build. At the age of 15, his cousin was abducted by a spoiled young man from a neighboring village. Chen Baxian sneaked into the man’s home at night, killed him, and fled.

Chen Baxian traveled across mountains and ridges to reach Huzhou. At that time, there was a wealthy man named Qian in the city, a millionaire who was building a grand residence with hundreds of craftsmen and thousands of laborers. Chen Baxian worked as a handyman for the Qian family. Tall and strong with great strength, while other laborers needed two people to carry one log, he could carry two logs with one arm; others carried 50 bricks per load, but he could carry 200. He worked extremely hard.

Qian was over fifty years old and had a daughter named Feiying, who was not only beautiful but also skilled in poetry, music, and handicrafts. She was the same age as Chen Baxian. Sometimes she would visit the construction site and once saw Chen carrying two long logs with ease and moving swiftly. She was amazed and also found herself attracted to his youth and good looks. On another occasion, Miss Feiying told Chen that he was exceptionally talented and should aim for greatness. She encouraged him to study military strategy to achieve something in the future. Chen said he was too poor to afford an education and could only work to make a living. Deeply sympathetic, Miss Feiying offered to teach him how to read and write. Chen thanked her respectfully. They agreed to meet every evening in the backyard garden to study. Feiying’s grandfather, a former military officer who had reached the rank of commander-in-chief, had some military books at home, which Feiying secretly brought to Chen. He studied with great enthusiasm, never missing a day for three years. During this time, the two developed mutual affection and privately pledged their lives to each other.

By the time Miss Feiying turned 18, Qian began looking for a son-in-law for her. She told her father about her engagement to Chen Baxian. How could a millionaire face the shame of taking a laborer’s daughter as a son-in-law? To break off the relationship, Qian secretly accused Chen of theft to the county magistrate. The magistrate, who had been bribed, threw Chen into prison. Filled with rage, Chen escaped from jail and broke into the Qian residence at midnight, capturing Qian. Miss Feiying’s nanny pleaded for mercy, saying although her father had many faults, he was still her father and asked that his life be spared. She begged Chen to leave quickly since he had already achieved much in his studies and should join the army. She promised that if he succeeded in life, she would wait for him forever. Chen agreed to Feiying’s plea and bowed, vowing never to disappoint her and to return for her once he achieved greatness.

Chen Baxian joined the army, fought bravely, and achieved great merit, eventually rising to the rank of general and later ascending the throne. He immediately sent an imperial envoy to Huzhou to fetch Miss Feiying. However, the envoy returned to report that Miss Feiying had already passed away. After Chen left Huzhou, Qian had repeatedly pressured her to marry someone else, but she refused, declaring she would marry no one but Chen Baxian, leading to a rift between father and daughter. But Chen was gone for years with no word, and Miss Feiying fell ill from longing, bedridden for years, and passed away calling out “Chen Lang, Chen Lang.”

Dressed in mourning white, Chen Baxian personally visited Huzhou to mourn Miss Feiying for three days. Out of gratitude for her kindness, he specially built a pagoda to commemorate her for generations. To distinguish it from a typical Buddhist pagoda, he built two towers—one inside the other—and named it “Feiying.”

Feiying Subdistrict: Feiying Subdistrict is located in Wuxing District, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. It administers:

330502004001 111 Taxia Street Community

330502004003 111 Jishan No. 4 Community

330502004007 111 Qianghao Li Community

330502004008 111 Yujayang Community

330502004009 111 Xinhua Yuan Community

330502004011 111 Zhucuiyuan Community

3305020040…… More details about Feiying Subdistrict++

Further reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units