Golden Tower

Golden Tower

The Golden Tower is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Lofty Millennium Golden Tower

The Lofty Millennium Golden Tower

The Golden Tower is situated on Phoenix Mountain, 5 kilometers northeast of Wuwei County, by the Xi River. It is a brick pagoda designed in the style of a wooden pavilion, featuring a hexagonal floor plan with a width of 3.4 meters. The tower stands 35 meters tall and has nine stories. Each level is adorned with wooden-style bracket sets (dougong), featuring interlocking "mandarin duck" brackets, creating a sturdy structure that gradually tapers inward as it rises. With its elegant and upright form, the tower has withstood a thousand years and still stands proudly. Inside the tower, there are spiral staircases that allow visitors to ascend floor by floor. Each level has tower doors facing different directions, offering panoramic views.

According to historical records and investigations by ancient architecture experts, the Golden Tower was built in the first year of the Xianping era of the Song Dynasty, which corresponds to 988 AD. It is the oldest existing ancient pagoda in our province. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, Buddhism flourished in Wuwei County, and there were many monks. As a result, a temple was established by the Taishui River (now the Xi River), known as Nantai Temple. Later, a pagoda was built within the temple, which became the Golden Tower, forming a grand Buddhist architectural complex. However, due to the passage of time, wars, and destruction, Nantai Temple and the Golden Tower experienced cycles of prosperity and decline, eventually leaving only the ancient pagoda. Historical records indicate that from the Ming and Qing dynasties onwards, the pagoda underwent renovations during the Hongwu, Longqing, Wanli, Kangxi, and Qianlong eras, which helped preserve it intact. From the late Qing Dynasty to after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, due to long-term neglect, the lower parts of the tower suffered from crumbling bricks and stones, the top was damaged and cracked, and vegetation grew wildly. During the Cultural Revolution, the tower was fortunately protected by local residents and thus spared from disaster. In 1981, the provincial government designated the Golden Tower as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and allocated substantial funds for comprehensive surveying, mapping, and restoration. Today, the Golden Tower has been completely revitalized, becoming an important cultural relic and tourist attraction.

Protected Area: 27 meters east and west, and 21 meters south and north beyond the base of the tower.

Construction Control Zone: 500 meters east, south, west, and north beyond the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units