Yongzhen Pagoda

Yongzhen Pagoda

Yongzhen Pagoda is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangxi Province.

Yongzhen Pagoda, also known as Yongtai Pagoda, is located in Yongtai Town, about 17 kilometers southwest of Zhangshu City, on the banks of the Gan River. According to the "Qingjiang County Annals" from the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1870), under the section for Yongtai Subdistrict: “In front of the market was a small stream. By the end of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Gan River swelled and burst through its banks, turning it into a major river. Due to the forceful downward flow of the water, Yongzhen Pagoda was built to control the downstream.” At that time, villagers built a nine-story pagoda to suppress water disasters and named it “Yongzhen Pagoda.” It is a brick-and-stone structure. Hexagonal in shape, the pagoda has seven stories in total, tapering gradually from the bottom up, and stands 24 meters tall. In the 17th year of the Guangxu reign (1891), during the “Xinmao Wind Disaster,” the pagoda’s top was blown off and fell into the river mouth. Villagers later raised funds to renovate it, reducing the structure from nine to seven levels. To this day, the pagoda remains relatively well-preserved. The base of the pagoda is built with grayish-green granite. The platform is made of blue bricks, which bear stamped inscriptions such as “Hong Yongchang Repair,” “Hong Yongchang Guild Repair,” and “Yongzhen Pagoda Brick.” Each story is 3 meters high and has six openings—three false and three real. The body of the pagoda is constructed with horizontally laid bricks, and the walls are coated with white lime. The eaves are built out using layered blue bricks, topped with bluestone ornaments carved in an upward-curving design. Copper bells hang beneath them. The top level is covered with bluestone, and the apex is crowned with a conical copper cap. A tall fir pillar, 80 centimeters in diameter, stands upright at the center of the pagoda, running all the way to the top. Four sets of cross-shaped wooden frames are installed on each floor, securing the central pillar and firmly connecting it to the pagoda structure. Originally, the pagoda had floors and wooden stairs, but these no longer exist. In 1984, it was designated as a cultural heritage site of Zhangshu City.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangxi Province