Dangtu Lingyun Pagoda

Dangtu Lingyun Pagoda

“Though Dangtu is small, it has three pagodas and two floating bridges.” This is a popular saying among the locals of Dangtu County. The three pagodas refer to Huangshan Pagoda in the north of the city, Jinzhu Pagoda in the west, and Lingyun Pagoda in the east. Huangshan Pagoda and Jinzhu Pagoda still stand tall today, but Lingyun Pagoda was destroyed by wind and rain in the early 20th century. The original site of Lingyun Pagoda was situated atop Lingyun Mountain in the eastern part of Dangtu County. It was built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. Initially constructed as a stone pagoda named Wenfeng Pagoda, it later collapsed due to an unstable foundation. In the 40th year of the Wanli reign (1612), it was rebuilt and renamed Lingyun Pagoda. Made of brick and solid inside, it was not designed for climbing. Lingyun Pagoda, together with Huangshan Pagoda in the north and Jinzhu Pagoda in the west, was described as “three towering structures standing at the cardinal points, forming a cosmic triad, believed by geomancers to guard the north and serve as the main celestial bodies for the three districts.” It was destroyed by a violent storm in June of the third year of the Xuantong reign (1911) during the Qing Dynasty.

Restoring Lingyun Pagoda has been the long-cherished wish of the people of Dangtu. The “three pagodas and two floating bridges” are not only a testament to Dangtu’s long history but also a source of pride for its residents. The sight of three ancient pagodas standing in a triad around the outskirts of an ancient city is rare not only in Anhui but also across the whole of China. In the early Qing Dynasty, Dutch envoy to China Johan Nieuhof featured the three pagodas as the iconic landmarks of Taiping Prefecture in his book *An Embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham, Emperour of China*. Rebuilding Lingyun Pagoda will restore the grandeur of Dangtu County’s “three pagodas standing at the cardinal points.”

The reconstruction of Lingyun Pagoda was officially approved by the county’s Development and Reform Commission in August 2009. Professor Fang Xianda, an expert in ancient architecture from the province, was invited to design the pagoda in the style of Ming Dynasty architecture. After gathering opinions from various experts, the construction design was carried out by Ma’anshan Huihua Architectural Design Co., Ltd. The project owner was the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, News and Publication; the contractor was Anhui Landscape Construction Co., Ltd.; and the supervisory body was Gushu Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd. The entire reconstruction project commenced in November 2009 and was completed in January 2011, spanning 14 months. The pagoda adopts the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty; it has seven stories and an octagonal base; it is a reinforced concrete structure imitating wooden pavilion-style architecture; it features internal staircases that allow access to all seven floors, along with external corridors; the total height is 35.4 meters, offering panoramic views around the pagoda. The total investment was approximately 2.6 million yuan.