Huangshan Pagoda

Huangshan Pagoda

Huangshan Pagoda is a cultural relics protection unit of Anhui Province.

Huangshan Pagoda is located atop Huangshan Mountain, five li north of Dangtu County. It was originally built during the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties and is now a relic from the Zhao and Song periods. In 1989, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit by the People’s Government of Anhui Province. To the west of Huangshan Pagoda lies a steep cliff, to the south the mountaintop and woods, and to the north also woods. The mountain is lush with vegetation, featuring verdant pines and cypresses. In April 2004, the pagoda underwent renovation according to a “restoration to original condition” maintenance plan developed by the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the project was completed in May 2005. Huangshan Pagoda is a pavilion-style Buddhist pagoda with a brick-and-wood structure. It has an octagonal floor plan, five outer stories, and nine inner stories, standing over 27 meters tall. The outer section features one eave and one balcony per story, with bracket sets beneath the eaves. The pagoda is accessed through a arched doorway on the northwest side, with internal stairs leading up. Each level has one arched doorway and wall niches, with floors separating the stories. The floors are staggered in a square pattern up to the top. The walls mostly alternate headers and stretchers, and are built with lime mortar.

Lush pines and bamboos surround Huangshan Pagoda, creating beautiful scenery. From afar, the pagoda points straight toward the sky. Looking east, you can see Hengwang and Cangyun, with valleys stretching out; to the west, Tianmen and Niuzhu, where dragons seem to surge; and to the south, Qinglin and Jiujing, with misty blue haze floating over the hills. Together with the Jinzhu and Lingyun pagodas, they stand as a majestic triad. The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, while seeing off his kinsman on a boat trip to Huayang, specifically moored his boat to roam Huangshan and composed a poem praising Huangshan Pagoda: “Seeing you off as you climb Huangshan, I let out a long whistle leaning on the stairway to the sky.”

Historical Evolution:

In the 35th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1696), Zhu Yuanmin, the magistrate of Dangtu, renovated the pagoda.

During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, repairs were carried out on the pagoda.

The above renovations are referenced from the Kangxi edition of the Taiping Prefecture Annals, the 15th year of Qianlong’s reign Dangtu County Annals, and the 26th year of the Republic of China Dangtu County Annals.

In 1984, the Dangtu County People’s Government allocated funds, and the Dangtu County Cultural Relics Management Office conducted reinforcement repairs on the base level of the pagoda.

In March 1990, the Dangtu County Cultural Relics Management Office funded minor repairs on the third level of the pagoda.

In 1989, with approval from the People’s Government of Anhui Province, it was listed as part of the third batch of Anhui Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

In April 2004, with funding from the provincial, municipal, and county governments, and approval from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, restoration began according to a “restoration to original condition” plan developed by the Anhui Provincial Institute of Archaeology. The project was completed in May 2005.