Liankui Tower

Liankui Tower

Liankui Tower is located in Xindeng Town, Fuyang District, Hangzhou City. As a landmark of Xianming Mountain, it was built in the 46th year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty (1618). This 390-year-old tower is entirely constructed from large bluestone blocks and has six sides with nine stories. The bottom level is 2.63 meters wide on each side, with a door on both the east and west sides. From the second to the ninth floor, there are two windows facing each other on each level; the tower top features a double inverted basin, topped with a four-ring finial in the shape of a gourd. The entire tower stands 23 meters tall, with a solid foundation and a majestic appearance, making it a representative example of stone pagoda construction techniques in ancient architecture. It is now a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

Also known as Xianming Tower or Liankui Tower, it was renovated in the second year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1822) under the supervision of Magistrate Wu Xin’an.

Wu Xin’an’s "Record of the Renovation of Liankui Tower on Xianming Mountain" details the process. He wrote that when he first saw the tower, “I noticed dangerous rocks precariously poised as if about to fall—I couldn’t climb up and immediately wanted to renovate it.” By the year of Renwu, he had built the Xue Shan Jingshe (a study hall), hired teachers, and started teaching many scholars. From the entrance, he could see the mountain, and the tower came into view. “Astrologers said the tower, located in the Li Palace (fire sector), symbolizes culture and civilization, so it should be renewed; geomancers said the tower resembles an upright brush ready to sweep away thousands of troops, its tip must be sharp, so it should be renewed; those who observe qi (energy) also said cultivating talent for the country begins with nurturing its spiritually endowed sites, hence it should be renewed.” Though skeptical of astrologers, Wu Xin’an felt responsible as a local official. “Though the tower is dilapidated, it is not yet beyond repair—it can be restored and enhanced.” Thus, he “gathered materials and labor to plan its restoration,” receiving strong support from local gentry and residents. Work began in June of the Renwu year (1822) and was completed within a month. After the tower was restored to its former glory, Wu “scraped off the moss to read the inscriptions inside the tower and learned its name was ‘Liankui.’” The god Kui Xing governs military prowess—knowing that the wise forebears who built this tower had profound and far-reaching intentions, he hoped “this region would flourish in literature and scholarship, shining brilliantly, linking talents like strings of pearls, soaring straight into the clouds.” Then, “climbing the steps and looking around, he saw mountains all around, and above the mountains, a vibrant aura,” imagining the young talents of Xincheng diligently studying and growing into pillars of the nation. Inspired, he decided to follow the tradition of the Wild Goose Pagoda by “engraving names on the blue jade stones” within the tower, and couldn’t help but laugh heartily at the sky.

The entire tower is built with massive square stone blocks, forming a six-sided, nine-story hollow pagoda dedicated to the God of Literature. It stands seven zhang (approximately 23 meters) tall. Each side of the base is about eight chi (around 2.6 meters) wide, with the central opposing wall measuring 2.39 meters. The hexagonal lines are smooth, all supporting each other toward the central apex. Externally, no wooden structural materials are visible. The tower has one door on each of the east and west sides. From the second to the ninth floor, there are two windows on each level. Between each floor, approximately two chi (about 0.66 meters) wide stone slabs, shaped like eaves, protrude from the tower body to prevent rainwater from directly entering through the windows and eroding the interior flooring. The tower’s corners are styled like eaves, each decorated with an upward-pointing angular design. The tops of the window lintels are adorned with wavy, arc-shaped carvings. The tower top features a double inverted basin, topped with a carved stone gourd-shaped finial, designed to withstand sun, rain, frost, snow, and wind erosion.

Liankui Tower is a type of Wenchang Star Tower and does not require enshrining relics. Therefore, unlike Buddhist pagodas, it does not have an underground palace. The base is distinctly divided into a base platform and a pedestal. The base platform is the lower, relatively unadorned foundation of the early pagoda, larger in area than the base of the tower itself, and is very solid. On top of the base platform sits the pedestal that supports the tower body. The pedestal stones are the longest and largest square blocks used in the entire tower. Their upper edges are rounded, and the two-tiered arrangement of these rounded stones creates a naturally harmonious curved aesthetic with the tower body. Architecturally, this enhances the visual grandeur and prominence of the tower.

The tower body is the main structure of an ancient pagoda. Depending on the type of pagoda, the form of the tower body varies. The Xianming Tower is built with large square stone blocks stacked together, giving it a tall, majestic, and spectacular appearance. Each massive square stone is interlocked in a staggered pattern, bonded with tough lime mortar. Inside the tower body, a spiral stone staircase winds upward. Each floor has grid-like supports embedded in the stone holes of the walls, with flooring laid on top, allowing visitors to walk up to each level and enjoy panoramic views of the city, all the way to the top.

The top of the tower, commonly referred to as the finial, is also the most aesthetically pleasing part of the entire structure. In terms of its composition, the finial itself is a complete ancient pagoda. It consists of the finial base, finial body, finial top, and finial pole. The finial of Xianming Tower features a huge precious top in the shape of a gourd, entirely constructed from interlocked stone slabs, covering the tower top. The tower top is built in the shape of a honeysuckle leaf base to support the finial body. The finial body is made of circular ring-shaped bead (cosmic) stone pillars, connected to the finial top as a single column, ending in a pointed tip. From a distance, the pagoda is a magnificent and imposing sight.

Xindeng Town: Located in the western part of Fuyang City, Zhejiang Province, Xindeng Town is a sub-center of Fuyang and serves as the economic, commercial, and cultural hub of western Fuyang. It is the largest town in Fuyang, covering a total area of 180 square kilometers, with jurisdiction over 71 administrative villages and 4 communities, and a total population of 66,986. Known as the "Millennial Ancient Town, Hometown of Luo Yin," Xindeng has a deep historical heritage, with preserved cultural relics such as ancient city walls, Liankui Tower, historic archways, Luo Yin Stele Forest, and Xiangxi Covered Bridge. In recent years, under the correct leadership of the municipal Party committee and government, the town has united in effort and boldly forged ahead... More information about Xindeng Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites