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. It consists 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, 1.05 meters per side, carved with a single layer of 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—though their heads have been smashed off. The niche is 0.55 meters deep and 1.05 meters high inside, housing a Buddha and two disciples. The pagoda body retains its original seven tiers of 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 that houses the niche bears inscriptions on all four sides, though 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 structure and the statues inside, the pagoda is believed to have been built during the Tang Dynasty, with later inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty. According to villagers, the area where Nanjia Township is located was commonly known as Shuangta Ling (Twin Pagodas 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 in 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 in Xingtai: the Buyao Village Site in Lincheng County, the Bai Rencheng Site in Longyao County, the Luchenggang 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 the Confucius 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