Yingtian Tower

Yingtian Tower

Yingtian Tower is a cultural tourism attraction.

Situated atop Tashan (Feilai Peak) on Jiefang South Road in Shaoxing City. This brick-and-wood pavilion-style tower has a hexagonal floor plan, seven stories, and a height of 37.91 meters. The main body is constructed from bricks and stones, with an internal staircase, wooden outer eaves and bracket sets, and cylindrical pillars at each corner for reinforcement. Each level features doors opening onto corridors, which are surrounded by wooden railings. The tower gradually tapers as it rises from the base, presenting a solemn form and harmonious color scheme.

Historical records indicate that the tower was originally located within Baolin Temple. It was first built in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty but was later destroyed. It was rebuilt in the early Qiande era of the Song Dynasty, collapsed again, and was reconstructed during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1522–1566). The current tower bears an inscription noting its construction in the 13th year of Jiajing (1534). The tower was renovated in 1985. Zhao Bian, a prominent Northern Song official, wrote a poem titled "Viewing the Corner of Baolin Temple Tower": "The new tower on Baoshan crowns the mountain’s form, crafted swiftly by masterful design. Piercing the sky three hundred feet tall, it houses a solemn thousand Buddha forms. Below, springs and pools delight the spiritual eel, above, clouds brush where startled geese take flight. Travelers entering the region, even ten miles away, point to the pagoda recognizing the Yue King’s city."

Tashan, located at the southern edge of Shaoxing City, stands alongside Longshan and Jishan as one of the city’s renowned peaks. Historically also known as Feilai Mountain, Baolin Mountain, and Guishan. The mountain once featured ancient sites such as Giant’s Footprints, Monastic Staff Marks, Baolin Temple, Holy Mother Pavilion, and Spirit Eel Well. At its summit, Yingtian Tower combines elegance with wonder, offering splendid views. King Goujian of Yue once built a “viewing platform” here, considered China’s earliest recorded astronomical observatory.

Originally a seven-story pagoda of Baolin Chan Temple, Yingtian Tower was first built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It was renamed Yingtian Tower in the Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in the Song Dynasty, and further restored in the Ming Dynasty. With ten arched eaves, the architecture is majestic, and the Buddha statues and inscribed stone tablets are exquisitely crafted. In 1910, it was damaged by fire and became a hollow tower. The tower top is covered with a cast iron basin, presenting a grand sight. It is a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.

Tashan is situated in the southern part of Shaoxing’s ancient city. Passing through the antique pedestrian street in the Lu Xun District, you’ll find Tashan Park near the intersection of Jiefang Road and Yan’an Road. Also known as Feilai Mountain, Baolin Mountain, Guishan (Strange Mountain), and Guishan (Tortoise Mountain), historical texts such as "Wuyue Chunqiu" record that after Fan Li completed the construction of his city, “a mountain from Donghai in Langya suddenly appeared overnight, hence the name Guishan (Strange Mountain).” Thus, it earned the names Guishan and Feilai Mountain. Its tortoise-like shape also gave it the name Guishan (Tortoise Mountain). During the Southern Dynasties, Master Huiji built Baolin Temple on the mountain, leading to its alternate name Baolin Mountain. The presence of Yingtian Tower—named after Baolin Temple’s rebranding to Yingtian Temple in the Tang Dynasty—gave rise to the tower’s current title. Now called Tashan due to the tower, it is one of the three small mountains within Shaoxing’s ancient city and holds notable cultural value due to its many historic relics. Recently, the Shaoxing municipal government has carried out renovations while preserving the original landscape, removing unsightly illegal structures, restoring Dongwu Pavilion, and refurbishing Qingliang Temple. To enhance visitor experience, authorities have also built pavilions and corridors amid environmental improvements, creating a leisure area where cascading waterfalls, lush greenery, urban proximity, and tranquil ambiance coexist. From Yingtian Tower, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Shaoxing’s main streets, especially offering excellent vistas of the city’s southern areas and the southern outskirts of the ancient city.

According to ancient records, Yingtian Tower was jointly built by the monk Tan Yan and Xu Xun in the late Jin Dynasty. While little is known about Tan Yan, Xu Xun was a notable figure. As a celebrated scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he settled in Shaoxing with his father Xu Kan, who served as the Prefect of Kuaiji. He was close friends with Wang Xizhi, Xie An, and the eminent monk Zhidao Lin, frequently interacting with them and participating in the famous Orchid Pavilion Gathering. Sadly, before the tower’s completion, Xu Xun passed away due to illness, causing delays in the project. It was eventually completed with the help of Prince of Yuezhou, Xiao Cai Shi. Over a century after the tower’s completion (in 473 AD), Master Huiji built Baolin Temple on Feilai Mountain, incorporating the tower into the temple complex. In the first year of the Qianfu era of the Tang Dynasty (874 AD), Baolin Temple was renamed Yingtian Temple, and the tower accordingly became Yingtian Tower.

Like many famous temples and pagodas, Yingtian Tower, which has witnessed over 700 years of historical change, has undergone multiple cycles of destruction and reconstruction. There were two major reconstructions: one in the early Qiande era of the Northern Song Dynasty (963–968 AD) and another in the third year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1524 AD). The existing Yingtian Tower is the legacy of the 1524 reconstruction. As a renowned scenic site in Yue region, Yingtian Tower attracted literary figures and scholars throughout history. After its early Qiande reconstruction, the famous statesman and Northern Song Chancellor Wang Anshi visited and left behind the poem "Climbing Feilai Peak": "On Feilai Mountain stands a tower a thousand feet high, they say cocks crow and the sun begins to rise. Unafraid of clouds that veil my sight, for I stand atop the highest peak."

As one of the oldest structures in Shaoxing’s ancient city, Yingtian Tower serves as a benchmark and yardstick, symbolizing and measuring the historical and cultural elevation and depth of this land.

Address: Summit of Tashan (Feilai Peak) on Jiefang South Road, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City

Type: Ancient Pagoda

Recommended Visit Duration: 10–20 minutes

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 2.0 RMB

Tower Entry: 2 RMB.