Yifeng Chongwen Pagoda

Yifeng Chongwen Pagoda

Yifeng Chongwen Pagoda is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangxi Province.

Chongwen Pagoda is located on the easternmost edge of Nanping Park in Yifeng, by the Ye Stream at the foot of Lüxiu Mountain. This pagoda is not a scripture depository or relic stupa of a Buddhist temple, but was built to promote culture and scholarship.

The foundation was laid in the sixth year of the Tianqi era (1626), the second floor was built in the fourth year of the Chongzhen era (1631), the third floor in the thirteenth year (1640), the fourth and fifth floors in the first year of the Kangxi era (1662) during the Qing Dynasty, and the sixth and seventh floors in the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi (1717), taking a total of 91 years to complete the spire. In the fortieth year of Qianlong (1775), the brick finial was replaced with a porcelain one.

In the second year of the Jiaqing era (1797), the porcelain finial was changed to a copper one, and the pagoda was renovated again in the nineteenth year of the Guangxu era (1893).

Chongwen Pagoda is a seven-story, octagonal pavilion-style structure. It is built with bricks and stones, bonded with tung oil-lime mortar. Both the interior and exterior of the pagoda are coated with white plaster. The pagoda stands 45.5 meters tall, with each pair of floors featuring a waist eave and a platform. The waist eaves have sloped surfaces for water runoff, with sawtooth corbeling and imitation wooden rafter ends below. The platforms are paved with stone slabs, also featuring sawtooth corbeling; the platforms between the first and second, and second and third floors lack corbeling and only have sloped surfaces, with dragon-patterned roof tiles and wind-patterned drip tiles beneath the stone slabs.

The outer diameter of the first floor is 8 meters, and the inner chamber diameter is 4.3 meters. From the second floor upward, each level tapers inward. The outer diameter of the seventh floor is 6.5 meters, and the inner chamber diameter is 3.2 meters, with a taper ratio of 1:0.035. The southern, northern, and western sides of the first floor each have an arched doorway, while the eastern side has a false door resembling a shrine. One side of the western wall contains a hidden brick passage with a stone staircase that winds around to the south, then turns east, spiraling up to the second floor and all the way to the top, with each level following the same design. The stairway doors on each level are offset to ensure balanced access from all sides.

Each floor above the second has four solid doors and four false doors, arranged in alternating directions. The upper sections of three false doors are modified into ventilation windows of varying shapes. Between the solid and false doors, there are winding passageways and a few steps, allowing visitors to access the outer platforms of the pagoda for panoramic views. Due to the intricate layout and varying positions of these passageways, navigating the pagoda feels like exploring a maze.

The inner chamber has a domed ceiling, with a round hole in the center where a hanging cord was once placed. Below this is carved the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) diagram. Each chamber has 3–4 wall niches; the fifth and seventh floors feature altars, and the niches on the top floor are adorned with statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. The roof is an octagonal pyramid with an iron finial, consisting of an inverted bowl, a precious vase in the middle, and a gem atop. The eave corners were originally fitted with iron wind chimes.

In September 1983, it was listed as one of the first batch of key cultural heritage sites under protection in Yifeng County.

On December 28, 1987, Chongwen Pagoda was designated as one of the third batch of key cultural heritage sites protected at the provincial level in Jiangxi Province.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units