Jiayou Temple Pagoda

Jiayou Temple Pagoda

Jiayou Temple Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The Jiayou Temple Pagoda in Dayu is located at the foot of Shiling Mountain on the east side of the county town, next to Nan'an Preserved Duck. It is named after the original Jiayu Temple complex where it once stood. The pagoda stands 19 meters tall, with each side measuring 2.1 meters. It has five levels, wider at the base and tapering to a point, constructed with blue bricks in a wooden-style design, making it a pavilion-style pagoda. The base is hexagonal with five tiers, and each tier features arched doors, columns, lintels, and bracket sets (dougong), with each level’s lower six-sided arched door-style niches having upright arched ceilings. The eaves protrude, the pagoda body is hollow, and visitors can climb to the top through the niches along the inner walls. Between the second and fifth levels, there are protruding double-layered decorative eaves made of brick. The upper layer features an inverted bell-shaped tiled slope roof, standing 1.5 meters high. The entire pagoda structure is exquisitely crafted, sturdy, and dignified. Jiayou Temple was built in the fifth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (585 AD), renovated during the Jingyun era of the Tang Dynasty (710 AD) and renamed “Dayun Temple.” In the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty (1008 AD), it was called “Qingquan Temple,” and after being renovated again in the first year of the Jiayou era of the Song Dynasty (1056 AD), it was renamed Jiayou Temple. The temple itself has long been destroyed, leaving only this pagoda. According to expert research, the pagoda exhibits architectural styles of the Tang Dynasty and represents an immature phase of Song Dynasty pagoda design. Its beams, brackets, and dougong closely resemble the ancient architectural styles depicted in Wang Bo’s “Tengwang Pavilion Scene” painting, housed in the Tianlai Pavilion. It is considered one of the finest examples of Tang and Song pagodas not only in the province but across southern China. In 1957, it was listed as one of the first batch of provincial-level key cultural relic protection units, and it remains the oldest ancient pagoda in the county.

Nanan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Dayu County and the seat of the county government. It is the famous birthplace of Nan'an Preserved Duck. Established in the Sui Dynasty, the area borders the Lingnan region and was historically known for its peaceful people and abundant resources, hence the name Nanan. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, it served as the administrative center of Nanan Military Prefecture and later Nanan Circuit. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the seat of Nanan Prefecture. In 1953, Nanan Town was officially established. Located in the central part of the county, it covers an area of 9.8 square kilometers and has a population of 46,000. National Highway 323 passes through the town, and the Chongyi–Dayu Road starts here. The town administers six neighborhood committees—Yuxi, Yudong, Jiangui, Dongshan, Shiqiaoxia, and Beimenhe—as well as the Xinmin Village Committee. Local township enterprises are engaged in commerce, transportation, construction, clothing, bamboo and wood processing, and food services. The main agricultural product is vegetables. The area also features... [More details about Nanan Town++]