Xiangshan Stone Pagoda

Xiangshan Stone Pagoda

The Xiangshan Stone Pagoda is a cultural relic protected at the Jiangxi Provincial level.

The Xiangshan Stone Pagoda is located in Taizhou Village, Xiangshan Town, Chongren County, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, beside the ancient road that once led to Yihuang. Carved into the stone pagoda are the words: “Puan Dingguang Ancient Pagoda.” In 1982, during a county-wide cultural relics survey, experts from the provincial and municipal cultural heritage authorities determined the pagoda to be a Ming Dynasty structure based on its architectural style and features. In 1988, due to weathering, inscriptions revealing the year “the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty” appeared on the pagoda, indicating that its actual construction date should be: the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty.

The stone pagoda has seven tiers and stands 6 meters tall. It is constructed from granite. The seven-tiered pagoda is built by stacking one layer upon another. It features a gourd-shaped top and a lotus-petal base. The main body of the pagoda is a hexagonal prism, tapering slightly toward the top. Except for the base, each tier of the pagoda is made up of two stone slabs, about 0.7 meters in height. The lower part of the exterior of each slab is adorned with decorative patterns resembling ruyi (scepter) motifs, while the upper part is inscribed with text. The text section includes one large character per tier. The six tiers, when read vertically, feature the following inscriptions: “The ninth year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty; Puan Dingguang Ancient Pagoda; Kṣitigarbha Buddha Who Saves from Suffering; Shakyamuni Buddha; Spirit-Responsive Guanyin King Buddha; Namu Amitabha Buddha.” Below the inscribed portions of each tier, there are four additional characters: “Fengtiaoyushun” (favorable weather and abundant harvests).

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units