Nanjia Township Stone Pagoda

Nanjia Township Stone Pagoda

The Nanjia Township Stone Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Nanjia Township Stone Pagoda is located to the south of Nanjia Village, Nanshimen Town, Xingtai County. Currently, only one stone pagoda remains, consisting of a base, a lotus pedestal, a niche, a seven-tiered eaved body, and a gourd-shaped finial. The base is a square stone block made of bluestone, measuring 1.4 meters on each side. The lotus pedestal is also square, with sides 1.05 meters long, featuring one layer of carved inverted lotus patterns, above which sits the main body of the pagoda where the niche is located. The front features a niche, 0.36 meters high and 0.29 meters wide, with flame-shaped stone carvings above the opening, and guardian figures on both sides, although their heads have been broken off. The niche is 0.55 meters deep and 1.05 meters high inside, housing a Buddha flanked by two disciples. The pagoda body retains its original seven-tiered carved eaves, with an additional tier and the gourd-shaped finial added later by villagers. The total height of the pagoda is 4.6 meters. The section of the pagoda body where the niche is located bears inscriptions on all four sides, but most are now illegible. On the left side of the niche on the front of the pagoda body is the inscription “Tianqi” (天启), but based on the pagoda’s structure and the statues inside, it is believed to have been built during the Tang Dynasty, with additional inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty. According to villagers, the area where Nanjia Township is located was commonly known as Shuangta Ridge (Twin Pagoda Ridge), and there used to be another pagoda on the north side corresponding to this one, but it no longer exists. Nowadays, the most valuable part of the pagoda—the niche section of the body—has been stolen.

On May 3, 2013, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units. Currently, Xingtai City has a total of 21 such units, ranking among the top in the province. Ten new sites were added to Xingtai’s list: the Buyao Village Site in Lincheng County, the Bairen City Site in Longyao County, the Luchenggang Site in Xingtai County, the Houdige Site in Nangong City, the Linqing Ancient City Site in Linxi County, the Nanjia Township Stone Pagoda in Xingtai County, the Dacheng Hall of Wenmiao Temple in Pingxiang County, the Putong Pagoda in Nangong City, the Front Hall of Tianning Temple in Xingtai City, and the Xingtai Dao De Jing Stele.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units