Songyang Yanqing Temple Pagoda

Songyang Yanqing Temple Pagoda

Songyang Yanqing Temple Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

From the pagoda’s structure to its wooden eaves, no traces of later repairs can be found, making it the most well-preserved original Northern Song Dynasty structure among all pagodas in the Jiangnan region.

Stepping into the pagoda courtyard, a cobblestone path leads to the base of the pagoda, flanked by lush trees and blooming flowers. Ahead stands the 0-style brick-and-wood leaning pagoda, hexagonal with seven levels, hollow inside, with each level featuring a flat terrace and corridor; the bracket sets and roof tiles are styled with double scrolls, the eaves extend gently and flatly, bearing a distinct Tang Dynasty style. The iron spire finial is adorned with scrolling vine patterns, featuring smooth curves. Having endured over a thousand years of wind and rain, the pagoda now leans slightly. During its restoration in the 1980s, it was measured to have a tilt of 2°12" and an eccentricity of over one meter, earning it the nickname "the Leaning Tower of the East." This has, however, added another layer of charm to the ancient pagoda.

The first level of the ancient pagoda is the highest, with the broadest overhanging eaves. As you ascend, each successive level becomes lower and the lean more pronounced, almost discouraging further climbing. The top of the pagoda stands dramatically above the ground, evoking Li Bai’s line: “I dare not speak aloud, for fear of startling the heavenly beings.”

According to the *Songyang County Annals*, in the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo era (979 AD), Monk Xingda was ordered to travel westward to Central India, where he obtained eight volumes of the *Mahāsūtras* and forty-nine sarira (Buddhist relics) to bring back. After ten years of hardship, Monk Xingda secured eight great scriptures and forty-nine sarira, for which he was honored by the imperial court. Inspired, he vowed to build a pagoda to enshrine the relics. After extensive fundraising, construction began in the second year of the Xianping era (999 AD) and was completed in the fifth year (1002 AD). Originally named "Yunlong," as it was situated at the front of Yanqing Temple at the foot of Yunlong Mountain, it was renamed Yanqing Pagoda in the fourth year of the Jianyan era (1130 AD). Stepping into the pagoda courtyard, a cobblestone path leads to the base of the pagoda, flanked by lush trees and blooming flowers. Ahead stands the 0-style brick-and-wood leaning pagoda, standing 38.32 meters tall, hexagonal with seven levels, hollow inside, with each level featuring a flat terrace and corridor; the bracket sets and roof tiles are styled with double scrolls, the eaves extend gently and flatly, bearing a distinct Tang Dynasty style. The iron spire finial is adorned with scrolling vine patterns, featuring smooth curves. The plaque on the pagoda’s eave, inscribed with “Yanqing Temple Pagoda,” was calligraphed by the renowned artist Sha Menghai, exuding extraordinary presence and adding grandeur to the ancient structure.

Having endured over a thousand years of wind and rain, the pagoda now leans slightly. During its restoration in the 1980s, it was measured to have a tilt of 2°12″ and an eccentricity of over one meter, earning it the nickname "the Leaning Tower of the East." This has, however, added another layer of charm, making visitors feel that not climbing the pagoda would render their trip incomplete.

Folklore

Long, long ago, a young man living near the Stone Bamboo was suppressed by the imperial court after leading troops to rebel against its tyranny. Later, the young man was immortalized by Lü Dongbin. Fearing more uprisings, the emperor ordered a pagoda to be built nearby to suppress him. That pagoda is Yanqing Temple Pagoda, and the young man is revered as the "Emperor," depicted as a celestial being resembling an emperor in the temple. The story of “Yanqing Temple Pagoda Suppressing the Emperor” has been passed down to this day. Though unbelievable, it is thought-provoking—can rebellion truly be suppressed by a pagoda? The pagoda courtyard features white walls and red eaves, exuding an antique charm. Upon entering the mountain gate of the pagoda courtyard, a granite stele stands in the entrance hall. Like a thick, weighty book, it records the history of Yanqing Temple Pagoda.

Name Origin

In the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty (979 AD), Monk Xingda was ordered to journey to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. After ten years of hardship, he obtained eight volumes of scriptures and forty-nine sarira (Buddhist relics), for which he was honored by the imperial court. Inspired, he vowed to build a pagoda to enshrine the relics. After extensive fundraising, construction began in the second year of the Xianping era (999 AD) and was completed in the fifth year (1002 AD). Located at the foot of Yunlong Mountain, five li west of Songyang County, it was initially named Yunlong Temple. It was later renamed Yanqing Temple Pagoda after the nearby Yanqing Temple.

Transportation

Buses from Lishui West Bus Station run from 6:30 to 18:30 to Songyang County. From there, take a taxi to the pagoda.

Admission

Park entry ticket: 5 RMB; pagoda ascent: 10 RMB. To protect the ancient pagoda, visitors can only go up to the fourth level.

Opening Hours

8:30-17:00

Location

Xiadajia Village, 3 km west of Songyang County, Lijiang City

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units