Yingchao Tower

Yingchao Tower

Yingchao Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Fuqing City and a World Cultural Heritage site.

Yingchao Tower is located on the beach of Zeqi Village, Sanshan Town, Fuqing, also known as Zeqi Tower, and is famous for its significant lean without collapsing. The tower is built from granite in a pavilion-style imitation design. It stands 18 meters tall with a circumference of 11.20 meters. Comprising seven stories and eight sides, it was constructed using a method of layering stones, stacking central columnar rocks, and sealing gaps with pebbles, making it the tallest solid tower in Fujian Province. The second-floor wall is inscribed with the relief inscription “Pillar Stone Touching the Clouds”. The tower walls feature niches housing several Buddha statues, each uniquely carved with vivid expressions.

Over time, under the impact of seawater and strong winds, the tower gradually leaned about 15 degrees to the east before eventually collapsing. After the collapse, two remaining stories of the tower stood approximately four meters high.

Yingchao Tower was originally built in the second year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1523 AD) and was renovated in the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign (1634 AD).

In 1981, Yingchao Tower was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Fuqing County.

In August 1999, Yingchao Tower was destroyed by a typhoon, leaving only two stories.

Sanshan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Fuqing City. Established as the Sanshan Commune in 1961, it was restructured as a township in 1984 and upgraded to a town in 1990. Located in the southeastern part of the city, it is 26 kilometers from the city center. Covering an area of 86 square kilometers, it has a population of 101,000. The town administers 35 village committees, including Sanshan, Dongpu, Louxia, Hengkeng, Guanlu, Qinqian, Liangqi, Jiaru, Beichen, Anqian, Zelang, Houyang, Aotou, Aofeng, Shangkun, Beilou, Haiyao, Chengbian, Baihe, Sejiang, Jiangcuo, Dongguo, Daobei, Kengbian, Tangbei, Houzheng, Huqiu, Zhongcuo, Rencuo, Weizhuang, Zeqi, Qianxue, Louqian, and Hanyao. Local enterprises include... More detailed information about Sanshan Town ++