Nan’an Temple Pagoda

Nan’an Temple Pagoda

Nan’an Temple Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

It is said to have been established during the Han Dynasty, but is believed to have been built in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The pagoda is located at the center of the temple complex and served as an object of worship. The temple flourished from the Northern Wei to the Liao Dynasty. When the Yu Prefecture city was built in 580 AD (the second year of the Daye era of the Northern Zhou), the pagoda was named after the temple. Nan’an Temple was once a renowned temple in the Yan-Yun region with a long history, hence the local legend in Yu County: “Nan’an Temple came before Yu Prefecture City.”

According to the Yu Prefecture Annals, the pagoda was built around the same time as the city walls. In the early years of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, when Commander Zhou Fang reconstructed the city, the temple complex was too large, and the newly built southern city wall and moat passed directly through the temple grounds. As a result, the temple was demolished but the pagoda was preserved. The multi-eaved brick pagoda style originated in China during the Northern Wei period, but the design of the first story of Nan’an Temple Pagoda—featuring a band of carved ruyi heads beneath the horizontal beam—is first seen in the Liao Dynasty. Based on this analysis, the pagoda is considered to be a Liao Dynasty structure.

Nan’an Temple Pagoda consists of four main parts: the base, the pedestal, the body, and the finial. The base is constructed from stacked stone slabs. The octagonal pedestal features a brick imitation of wooden architecture, with seven layers of corbelled brickwork at the bottom. Each of the eight sides is adorned with carved beast heads, while the east, west, south, and north sides feature relief carvings of beast heads along with seal script characters meaning “fortune and prosperity.” The top imitates wooden architecture with eaves, topped with inverted lotus petals. Inside the pagoda body, there are corner pillars, and the horizontal beams are fitted with bracket sets. Four sides have false lattice doors shaped like arched windows, while the other four sides have small windows. The top is carved with coiled dragons, and above the brackets are upturned eaves. Each floor inside the pagoda is closely connected and separated by brick eaves. Iron spires hang from the corners of each level. Between the thirteenth layer of eaves, on the east and west sides, there are square niches housing Buddha statues. The finial is supported by an inverted lotus base and consists of a dome, a spire, a disk, and a precious bead. The entire structure appears tall and graceful, exuding an imposing aura.

The overall form of Nan’an Temple Pagoda is elegant and majestic, rising sharply from the ground. Its meticulously crafted Sumeru pedestal, exquisitely sculpted pagoda body, tightly stacked thirteen layers of eaves, and grand, beautifully detailed finial together create an artistic composition that balances weight, length, density, and spacing in a harmonious and refined manner. This achieves an architectural aesthetic that is both integrated and gracefully upright. Despite over a thousand years of wind and rain, multiple earthquakes, and no tilting whatsoever, the pagoda remains well-preserved and stands firmly to this day.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units