Tianyuan Pagoda

Tianyuan Pagoda

Tianyuan Pagoda is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tianyuan Pagoda, located in Yangjialou Village, Nanshan Township, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, is commonly known as the Yangjialou Pagoda.

It was funded for construction by Yang Zhaotai, a native of the Ming Dynasty who served as the Anqing Prefect. The Guangxu-era *Zhuji County Annals* state: “Tianhu Temple was built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty by Yang Yifeng, a centenarian from the locality, but is now in ruins. Behind the temple lies Tianyuan Pagoda, which was also commissioned by the centenarian — it was built by his grandson Yang Zhaotai, a Jinshi scholar of the Wanli jiwei year and later the Anqing Prefect.”

The pagoda has six sides and seven stories. Its body is solidly built with custom-made green bricks, on which the Chinese character “Yuan” can still be clearly seen. It is a brick-built pavilion-style pagoda, with each level featuring a waist eave created by overlapping corbelled brickwork. Standing 40 meters tall, the pagoda boasts an imposing presence and elegant appearance. Originally, each level was adorned with painted Buddha images, and copper bells hung from the corners. The pagoda has no open terrace or auxiliary eaves, nor does it use bracket sets. The northern and southern sides of the first level have arched doorways, while the other levels have windows on all six sides. Inside the pagoda, there is a brick staircase that allows visitors to spiral upwards. From the top, one can gaze out over fields, villages, streams, and lush green hills in all directions. There were once several small rooms of a temple next to the pagoda, but these have been destroyed. The pagoda underwent repairs in 1937, funded by villagers from Yangjialou.

On January 13, 2017, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province designated it as part of the seventh batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units