Dingnan Xun Tower

Dingnan Xun Tower

Dingnan Xun Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

Dingnan Xun Tower, commonly known as the Short Tower, is located on Chaoshan Mountain in the old town of Dingnan County, Ganzhou City. It is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The tower was built in the 10th year of the Chongzhen reign during the Ming Dynasty (1637). It is an octagonal seven-story pavilion-style tower constructed from granite, standing 15 meters tall. The northwest side of the ground floor has a doorway, above which is a horizontally inscribed stone carving reading “Qingyun Peak.” The eaves are built with corbelled courses. It was jointly initiated for construction by Magistrate Chuan Dacheng and Instructor Fang Li. It is the only Ming Dynasty stone pagoda in southern Jiangxi. Originally, the seven-story stone pagoda had its top two stories struck off by lightning, leaving five stories. The tower has now been restored after maintenance.

In ancient times, the old town of Dingnan had four major scenic spots: one pagoda, two Wen Chang (Temple to the God of Literature), three Taishan (platform mountain), and four ponds. The mountains around Xun Tower all have flat tops, and although the ranges are continuous, they do not form the shape of a brush rest. With the missing literary peak, this Xun Tower was thus “brought to life.” Xun Tower was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province in 2005.

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangxi Province