Gaotang Xingguo Temple Ancient Pagoda

Gaotang Xingguo Temple Ancient Pagoda

The Gaotang Xingguo Temple Ancient Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Xingguo Temple Ancient Pagoda, also known as the Bodhisattva Pagoda, is located east of Liangcun Street, 17 kilometers north of Gaotang County. Its construction date is unknown, but it is said to have been jointly funded by monks from Xingguo Temple and local residents, with renovations carried out during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The pagoda is built from blue bricks, featuring an octagonal pavilion-style wooden imitation structure with 13 tiers (11 remaining), standing 37.5 meters tall. The base is a regular octagon, with a perimeter of 22.8 meters and an area of 33 square meters.

The pagoda is a wooden imitation pavilion-style structure, with the exterior constructed from blue bricks and lime mortar, and the interior from blue bricks and lime sand mortar. Wooden reinforcements are embedded in the corner eaves, steps, and gateways inside the pagoda. It has an octagonal floor plan, with each side measuring 2.85 meters, a diameter across opposite sides of 6.85 meters, and a total height of 38.8 meters, consisting of 11 tiers topped with a finial. The base covers an area of 33 square meters. The structure tapers elegantly from the bottom up, presenting a slender and upright silhouette, with single eaves throughout. The eave brackets are meticulously crafted from cut and polished blue bricks. The entrance is on the north side, allowing for climbing. Due to its slender shape, the climbing route is rather unique. To ascend, visitors enter through the west gate on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th tiers, exiting through the east gate of the tier above, while the 3rd, 7th, 5th, and 9th tiers are accessed via the south and north gates respectively. The 10th and 11th tiers feature a cross-shaped passage connecting all four directions. Before entering or exiting, visitors must walk around the outer eaves. Many visitors who climb the pagoda often cannot recall the exact route taken, as if navigating a maze.

The first tier of the pagoda features double eaves with brackets underneath, and an entrance on the north side. From the second tier upward, each level has four doorways, and the top is shaped like a complete gourd. The entire pagoda has 22 doorways, with a stone Buddha statue sitting cross-legged on each side, exuding smooth and flowing lines, plus three more in the underground chamber, totaling 25 Buddha statues. The first tier features the Lion Buddha, the second tier the Flame Shoulder Buddha and the Azhong Buddha, the third tier the Dharma Holding Buddha and the Great Light Buddha, the fourth tier the Supreme Sound Buddha and the Sumeru Appearance Buddha, the fifth tier the Obstacle-Free Buddha and the Great Brightness Buddha, the sixth tier the Sakyamuni Buddha, the Sun and Moon Lamp Buddha, and the Great Sumeru Buddha, the seventh tier the Bright Hearing Light Buddha and the Treasure Appearance Buddha, the eighth tier the Sun-Born Buddha and the Sumeru Light Buddha, the ninth tier the Net Brightness Buddha and the Wonderful Sound Buddha, the tenth tier the Unimpeded Achievement Buddha, the Treasure Victory Buddha, the Medicine King Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha, and the Amitabha Buddha, the eleventh tier the Mount Sumeru-like Buddha and the Immeasurable Diligence Buddha, and the underground chamber houses the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Four-Faced Guanyin).

The Xingguo Temple Pagoda is named the "Bodhisattva Pagoda," signifying the highest realm of Buddhism. In Buddhist terms, the "great" in "Mahāsattva" (Great Bodhisattva) does not carry the ordinary meaning, but refers to awakened beings; it is also said that realizing one's true nature and becoming a Buddha is the supreme path. On the 10th and 11th tiers of this pagoda, the passageways connect all four directions—up, down, east, and west—symbolizing the awakening of beings and their turn toward the light.

Standing here and looking up, the pagoda soars into the clouds, a truly magnificent sight; ascending to the top and gazing into the distance, one feels a sense of spiritual exhilaration, with vast fertile fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

Ten meters north of the pagoda stands an ancient locust tree, giving rise to the saying "Tang Dynasty Locust, Song Dynasty Pagoda." This ancient locust tree was planted in front of the Mahavira Hall of the original Xingguo Temple by the monks. The tree trunk, about ten spans in circumference and roughly sixty feet tall, is gnarled and lush, providing shade over two acres. The trunk is hollow inside, with a gall-like growth commonly referred to as the "locust gallbladder." It is said that a locust tree does not grow such a gall until it reaches a thousand years old. Many legends are associated with this tree. In the summer of 1971, it was damaged by fire; the following spring, new shoots sprouted from the remaining trunk. In 1998, numerous young locust trees flourished vigorously. Perhaps this is what people often refer to as the essence of heaven and earth.

Due to wind erosion, rain damage, and years of neglect, the pagoda suffered severe deterioration. In 1986, repairs were made to the base, during which a fragmented stele inscribed with the "Imperial Decree for the Reconstruction of Xingguo Temple" from the 14th year of the Ming Chenghua era (1478) was unearthed at a depth of 5 meters below the surface. In 1999, both provincial and county governments allocated special funds for a comprehensive restoration of the pagoda, which was completed the following year.

This restoration, following the one in the 43rd year of the Qing Qianlong era, marks another repair after 222 years, reviving the pagoda’s former glory.

In the Gaotang Prefecture Annals printed during the Qing Dynasty, the "Song Pagoda and Tang Locust" were recorded as a scenic landmark of Gaotang County. The Xingguo Temple Pagoda has been listed as a Provincial-Level Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Liangcun Town: Borders Dongli Town of Xiajin County to the west. It covers a total area of 57.1 square kilometers, accounting for 6.02% of the county’s total area. By the end of 1998, the town had jurisdiction over 50 natural villages and 52 village committees, with a total of 60,800 mu of arable land. The population was 24,948, including 790 non-agricultural residents. In 1988, the natural population growth rate was 10.0‰, while by 1998 it had dropped to -0.34‰, achieving negative growth.

Liangcun Town features flat terrain and fertile soil. The elevation ranges from 24 to 29 meters, and the soil is mostly light loam. … More details about Liangcun Town++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units