Dongliu Twin Pagodas

Dongliu Twin Pagodas

The Dongliu Twin Pagodas are a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Dongliu Twin Pagodas are located at the northern and southern ends of the riverbank in Dongliu Town, Dongzhi County.

On the north and south sides of the riverbank in Dongliu Town, Dongzhi County, stand two pagodas facing each other—one called the "Natural Pagoda" and the other the "Xiufeng Pagoda," collectively known as the Dongliu Twin Pagodas.

The Natural Pagoda is located on Huilong Mountain to the north of the town. It was built due to the terrain being described as "low and hunched hills, deemed inauspicious by geomancers," and construction began in the spring of the tenth year of the Qianlong reign (1745), taking three years to complete. The pagoda is eleven zhang tall (approximately 36.6 meters), with a circumference of 6 zhang 6 chi (approximately 22 meters), has five stories and six sides, and is built from brick and stone. Each level has six doors, and an internal staircase allows visitors to climb to the top. "Its top is adorned with gold, its base with stone," featuring upturned eaves and majestic proportions. A Qing poet, Feng Quan, wrote: "A pagoda naturally overlooks the blue stream, / From its heights all views around are seen. / Mountains link Wu and Chu, clouds break the day, / The river surges with travelers’ boats from Xiao and Xiang. / Distant hamlets float in mist like Yuan’s garden bright, / Near the city, winds stir the exiled poet’s height. / Spring scenery everywhere becomes a painted scene, / Thatched cottages lie across the water between." The construction of the pagoda went smoothly in terms of fundraising and work progress, and coincidentally, a local man named Li Chengzuo passed the imperial examination. Everyone regarded this as a propitious event bestowed by nature, hence naming it the "Natural Pagoda." From the top, one can overlook the great river flowing eastward, with lone sails in the distance and the setting sun over the Yangtze River all in full view.

The Xiufeng Pagoda stands opposite the Natural Pagoda, atop Niutou Mountain to the south of Dongliu Town, adjacent to the Tao Gong Ancestral Hall. It was built in the 24th year of the Qianlong reign (1759) by Jin Cheng, a candidate for the Ministry of Punishments prison official. The pagoda has five stories and six sides, is over ten zhang tall (approximately 33 meters), and is constructed from brick and stone, resembling a colorful brush piercing the sky. According to the Dongliu County Annals, the pagoda was built to "enhance the cultural pivot and further enrich the area’s refined aura." In 1996, relevant provincial and county departments and individuals funded its restoration. It is slightly smaller in scale than the Natural Pagoda, with a largely similar structure, though differing in the decoration of the pagoda top. The Natural Pagoda uses the Buddhist Sumeru finial decoration, while the Xiufeng Pagoda is adorned with a brush-shaped finial, giving it a "colorful brush reaching the clouds" appearance. Jin Cheng believed: "The energy of the county school originates from Lishan Mountain, lacking a towering momentum. Although there is Yinglong Temple to the east and the Natural Pagoda to the north," "if another peak were to stand at the southeast of the southern gate, aligned with the school palace," it could "enhance the cultural pivot and further enrich the refined aura." After completion, it was named the "Xiufeng Pagoda."

Dongliu Town: This millennia-old town was part of Pengze and Shicheng counties during the Han Dynasty, and a township of Pengze County in the Jin Dynasty. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty’s Huichang era, Dongliu Market was established, taking its name from the poetic line “The great river winds its way here, and from this point flows eastward”—the phrase “Dongliu” (Eastward Flow). It was elevated to county status during the Southern Tang of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (953 AD). The town covers an area of 105 square kilometers, currently comprising 7 villages and 3 communities, with a population of 35,000. The planned urban area spans 8 square kilometers. It is among the first batch of 63 key central towns in Anhui Province, a provincial-level model small town, a national key town, and serves as the industrial base, tourist destination, and trade hub of Dongzhi County... More details about Dongliu Town++