Guichi Qingxi Pagoda

Guichi Qingxi Pagoda

Guichi Qingxi Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Originally named Miaoyin Pagoda, Qingxi Pagoda stands within the sluice management office on the hills of Xiaqingxi in the northeast of the city, 5 kilometers from the city center. It faces Baiya Mountain Pagoda from afar. Constructed and completed in the 29th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1601) through funds raised by Qian Jia, the prefect of Chizhou at the time, it was later renamed “Qingxi Pagoda” due to its proximity to the Qingxi River. Also known as Qingxi Miaoyin Pagoda. This pagoda is 55.7 meters high with a diameter of 12 meters. Each level features arched gates and scenic windows, some of which are solid and others hollow. The pagoda’s body has niches both inside and out, which originally housed Buddha statues, though none remain today.

It is a pavilion-style brick pagoda with seven stories and eight sides. The pagoda stands 55.7 meters tall, with the bottom layer having a diameter of 12 meters. There are three entrances at the base leading to the inner chamber of the pagoda—one serves as the passage to climb up, while the others are blind doors. The inner chamber has a domed ceiling, and brick steps spiral upward along the compound walls. Each level contains Buddha niches inset with statues. A Qing poet, Cao Dianqi, wrote a poem titled “Qingxi Pagoda” after ascending it: “The rugged high pagoda leans against the distant sky, / As I climb, I overlook the vast world below. / Wild geese cast shadows on the trees of Qiupu, / While fishermen’s songs drift with the mist of Du Lake. / Bluish haze gathers near the bridge, / And the vast river flows beyond the railing. / I recall my friends who journeyed to the horizon, / With a few sail fragments hanging from drifting clouds.”

The internal structure of Qingxi Pagoda is largely similar to that of Baiya Pagoda. There are two stair openings on the second and third floors, allowing people to go up and down. The number of steps to each floor varies from 25 to 29. As you spiral up the steep stone stairs, you can see Buddha niches on each level. Each level of the pagoda also has its differences—some have compound walls, some have hidden doors, some bear inscriptions, and some feature brick carvings adorned with cloud patterns. However, there are also unrepaired holes of various sizes and numerous scars, which record the historical natural disasters.

If you climb to the top seventh floor, the view becomes even more expansive. From the south window at the top, you can see the “hands” of the Qingxi River and Baisha Lake reaching out below, “holding hands” before jointly flowing northward into the lower reaches of the Qingxi River. Looking north from the window, the winding lower reaches of the Qingxi River, which leads to the Yangtze, appear as a wide green silk ribbon drifting across the land covered with golden flowers and lush green trees, moving resolutely toward the distant expanse of the Yangtze River.

These two pagodas are Baiya Pagoda and Qingxi Pagoda of Chizhou. Qingxi Pagoda is also known as Miaoyin Pagoda. Observant people might notice that Qingxi Pagoda seems slightly tilted, with its spire appearing small and disproportionate.

The spire of the pagoda was struck by lightning in the summer of the 15th year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1642). One side of the pagoda was also hit by artillery fire from the Japanese invaders during the Anti-Japanese War, leaving over ten bullet marks. It still stands tall and upright to this day. In the first year of the Yongtai era (765), the Tang Dynasty re-established Chizhou for political and military reasons, relocating its administrative center to the current site of Chizhou City to “control the great river.” During the Kaicheng and Huichang eras (836–841), the prefect of Chizhou built the Cuiwei Dyke in the lake to the southeast of the city, marking the beginning of urban development. In the 10th year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1440), Prefect He Shaozheng spent 33,000 taels of silver to repair the prefectural city (the old prefectural site had been destroyed by war during the Yuan Dynasty when Bayan invaded the south). The new city spanned nearly 10 li, with six gates, including the Jiuhua Gate Tower which had three levels and six tiers, grand and magnificent. Later, Prefects Lu Gang and Qian Jia successively built Baiya Pagoda and Qingxi Pagoda. The pagodas have undergone multiple renovations throughout the dynasties.

Cultural Relics Protection

In 1982, the government carried out repairs on the pagoda’s top and base, and the municipal government funded another round of maintenance in 2003. Though the ancient pagoda is not large, it stands firmly and proudly, complementing the clear river and green waters.

On October 7, 2019, Qingxi Pagoda was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected Area: Within 20 meters around the pagoda.

Construction Control Zone: Within 30 meters outside the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units