Lower Spire Tower

Lower Spire Tower

The Lower Spire Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Huangshan City.

The Lower Spire Tower is located south of Qiankou Village in Huizhou. It was built in the 23rd year of the Jiajing reign during the Ming Dynasty (1544). The tower has seven stories and an octagonal shape, with the base diameter measuring approximately 10 meters. Each level tapers upward, giving the structure a conical appearance, which has earned it the local nickname "Qiankou Cone." Only the first two levels of the tower are hollow. The first level features Sumeru pedestals on all four sides, with murals of Buddhist figures painted on the walls. The second level contains brick carvings of decorative plaques inlaid into the walls, inscribed with the two large characters “翼峰” (Wing Peak), accompanied by the signature “In the 23rd year of Jiajing, the cyclical year of Jiachen, this is respectfully erected by Weng Wang Daozhi of Zhuxi.” The remaining five levels are solid. Currently, the eaves and top of the tower have been destroyed.

This tower is clearly wider at the bottom and narrower at the top—so why is it called the “Lower Spire Tower”? A folk legend offers an explanation: In ancient times, there was a bottomless well beneath the foundation of the tower. One year, a yellow eel demon made the well its kingdom and wreaked havoc, causing crops to fail and the people to suffer. The Queen Mother of Heaven then ordered the Heavenly Warrior Erlang to descend to the mortal realm and subdue the demon.

Knowing it couldn’t defeat Erlang, the eel demon hid in the mud and sandy pits nearby. No matter how fiercely Erlang’s celestial dog barked or how loudly his mountain-moving whip cracked, the demon refused to show itself. Enraged, Erlang took out another magical weapon from his waist called the “Lower Spire Fork” and thrust it fiercely toward the eel demon’s hiding spot. Though the strike didn’t hit a vital spot, it wounded the demon severely, causing it to bleed profusely.

Though injured, the eel demon, like a cornered beast, fought back. It dragged the Lower Spire Fork and fled toward the deep well, refusing to let Erlang reclaim the weapon, even at the cost of its life. The battle shook mountains and rivers and darkened the sun and moon. Fortunately, the Heavenly King Li Jing arrived upon hearing the news and lent his full strength to help. He threw down a magical pagoda that calmed the flying rocks and sealed the deep well, trapping the eel demon inside until it suffocated to death.

Erlang said, “Wait, wait. I haven’t retrieved my Lower Spire Fork yet!” Li Jing misunderstood, thinking Erlang was worried he would take all the credit for slaying the demon. So he replied, “No problem, no problem. Since we defeated the demon together, let’s just call this tower the Lower Spire Tower!” The legend may be far-fetched, but according to local elders, just the origin of the tower’s name shows that this ancient structure has a long and storied past.

The Lower Spire Tower was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Huangshan City.

Qiankou Village: Qiankou Village comprises 42 villager groups, with a population of 5,268 and 168 Party members. National Highway 205, the Chengshe Tourist Road, and the Hefei–Tongling–Huangshan Expressway intersect here within the village’s administrative area. It is home to a national 4A-level scenic spot and cultural relic protection unit—the Qiankou Folk Houses—as well as the “China Huizhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Practice Base.” Since 2006, the village has been successively awarded titles such as “Anhui Province Model Village for Socialist New Countryside Construction,” “Anhui Province Ecological Village,” and “Municipal-Level Five-Good Village Party Organization.” On July 9, 2010, Zhang Baoshun, Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, visited Qiankou... More detailed information about Qiankou Village++