Dashan Pagoda

Dashan Pagoda

Dashan Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Located at the southeast corner of Shaoxing’s urban square (formerly within the Xiying Dashan Temple). Dashan Pagoda was first built in the third year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty (504 AD). In the third year of the Qingyuan era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1197 AD), both the temple and pagoda were destroyed by fire. In the first year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403 AD), the temple and pagoda were rebuilt. The current pagoda is a Ming Dynasty structure, standing 40 meters tall with six sides and seven stories, featuring a mixed brick-and-wood pavilion-style construction. The top features a large circular caisson ceiling, topped with a cast iron inverted bowl weighing about 5,000 jin. Climbing the stairs offers a panoramic view of the ancient city of Shaoxing. During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, the spire, eaves, and pavilions were destroyed in warfare, but the main body of the pagoda remains. It is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Originally built within the Dashan Temple, hence the name. Today, the temple is gone but the pagoda remains. The pagoda was first built in the third year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty (504 AD), having been repeatedly built up and fallen into disrepair. The current pagoda was rebuilt in the first year of the Shaoding era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1228 AD), and was renovated in the first year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403 AD) and the eighth year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1669 AD). It is a brick-and-wood structured, pavilion-style pagoda with six faces and seven stories, standing 40.5 meters tall. The bottom level has sides of 3.8 meters, and all six sides of the ground floor feature niches, with windows above set at certain heights. The interior suffered damage over time. There are inscriptions indicating “renovated in the Shaoding era (1228 AD)”. In 1957, partial repairs were made, leaving only the brick sections intact.

Dashan Pagoda is a six-sided, seven-story brick-and-wood structure standing 40 meters tall, and was once the tallest building in Shaoxing. The pagoda originally had wooden stairs allowing visitors to climb to the top for a view of the entire city. The ground floor and some upper floors feature flame-shaped arched doors, while other walls contain Buddha niche windows. The top has a large circular caisson ceiling covered with an iron bowl weighing 2,500 kilograms. Folklore says that a wind-calming pearl as big as a longan was hidden in the spire, believed to protect Shaoxing from violent storms. Unfortunately, during the warfare of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, the wooden stairs, pavilions, and eaves inside the pagoda were burned down, and the spire was lost. Only the characters “Renovated in Shaoding Year of Wu Zi (1228)” can still be seen on the inner bricks.

In 1957, the government conducted a comprehensive renovation of Dashan Temple, and the pagoda retained most of its original appearance. The ancient Dashan Temple, which shared the same age as the pagoda, was demolished in 1970 to make room for a department store. The pagoda has been through multiple cycles of destruction and rebuilding; the current version largely dates from the 1957 renovation. The six-sided, seven-story pagoda has a bottom side length of 3.8 meters, wall thickness of 1.6 meters, tapering slightly with each ascending level, featuring a wooden-eaved, brick-pavilion style. Each corner has a brick pillar tapered into a spindle shape, supporting a round brick bracket. The balcony is of the four-puzuo style, the eaves of the five-puzuo style, with brick corbel arches and wooden bracket arms. The remaining wooden eaves were removed in the 1957 renovation. The internal wooden beams and floorboards had long since deteriorated, leaving only holes. A brick staircase on the second floor’s southern side remains as the original entrance. The seventh floor has a dome formed by interlocking wedge-shaped and flat bricks, topped with an iron bowl. Measurements show the height from ground level to the top of the bowl is 40.5 meters.

An old Shaoxing folk couplet goes: “The Little River Bridge, with its round arch, reflects like a mirror the two counties of Shanhui; Dashan Pagoda, with its pointed tip like a brush, writes across lakes and seas.” This speaks to the charming juxtaposition of the ancient Little River Bridge and Dashan Pagoda in Shaoxing. Nowadays, Dashan Pagoda is surrounded by high-rises, and the former imposing presence of the “punting pole” boat stance is no longer there. However, viewing the grandeur of Dashan Temple from the north end of the Little River Bridge to the south remains one of the best vantage points.

The best spots to view Dashan Pagoda are: one is the pier of the Little River Bridge, half a li northeast of the pagoda—here, against the backdrop of the round stone bridge and traditional houses of Beihou Street, Dashan Pagoda shows its graceful form; the other is Guangning Bridge, three li east of the pagoda. To the west of Guangning Bridge, the waters are wide, lined with blue-brick houses exuding the unique charm of old Shaoxing, with misty waters and Sleeping Dragon Mountain in the background. Thus, from Guangning Bridge, Dashan Pagoda enjoys the description of being “uniquely elegant,” or one might say: the beauty of Dashan Pagoda can be fully appreciated from Guangning Bridge.

Address: Southeast corner of Urban Square, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City

Type: Historical Architecture – Ancient Pagoda

Recommended Visiting Time: 20–30 minutes

Opening Hours:

Open all day, but only for exterior viewing.

Ticket Information:

Free entry.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units