Yongfu Temple Pagoda

Yongfu Temple Pagoda

Yongfu Temple Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located in Poyang City, Yongfu Temple Pagoda was first built in the first year of the Tianjian era during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. Legend has it that at the time, Lady Fei, the mother of Prince Xiao Hui of Poyang, had lost her sight in both eyes,

Xiao Hui prayed to the Buddha, and miraculously, his mother’s vision was restored. In gratitude, he donated the royal palace and turned it into “Xianming Temple.”

In the second year of the Tian Sheng era of the Song Dynasty (1024), monks Youyan and Baolun from Shouxing Temple on Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang came to serve as abbots and built a Buddhist pagoda east of the temple.

In the 22nd year of the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1362), while monks were repairing the pagoda, they unearthed a crystal vase at its base and presented it to the emperor.

The emperor was delighted and renamed “Xianming Temple” as “Yongfu Temple,” and the pagoda as “Yongfu Temple Pagoda.”

Since a Guanyin Hall of Yongfu Temple was built to the west of the pagoda, it is also known as “Guanyin Hall Pagoda.” This octagonal, seven-story pagoda has a foundation 10 meters deep, is 42 meters tall, and covers an area of 80 square meters. It is a hollow brick pagoda of the dense-eave pavilion style. The lower part of the pagoda features a stem-like base,

The pagoda body has arched doors on all eight sides, with brackets and beams adorned with traditional dougong (bracket sets), giving it an ancient and majestic appearance. It has withstood over ten historical earthquakes without damage.

Yongfu Temple Pagoda and Miaoguo Temple Pagoda are two of the “Twin Pagodas’ Bell Chimes,” one of the ancient Ten Scenic Spots of East Lake in Raozhou. In 1957, it was designated as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People’s Government of Jiangxi Province.

Today, based on preservation efforts, the people of Poyang are renovating and expanding related structures,

striving to restore its former glory and make it a truly renowned scenic attraction in Poyang.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units