Langfang Yongqing White Pagoda Temple

Langfang Yongqing White Pagoda Temple

Langfang Yongqing White Pagoda Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The White Pagoda Temple in Daxinge Township, Yongqing County, is widely renowned and hailed as an "Oriental Wonder." This pagoda, built during the Liao Dynasty, aligns with Beijing’s Tiananmen Square along the same central axis. Local myths tell the origin of the pagoda. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were two monks in the White Pagoda Temple. One winter, before leaving, the old monk instructed the young monk that if he got hungry, he should go begging nearby, but under no circumstances should he chop down the large dead tree in front of the temple. However, due to the heavy snow that winter, the young monk couldn’t go far to gather firewood and forgot his master’s warning, so he cut down the large dead tree. Unexpectedly, beneath the tree was a dragon’s eye, connected directly to the East Sea, and soon floodwaters spread to the nearby villages.

At that time, the old monk was in Mount Tai discussing Buddhist scriptures when he suddenly felt a surge of energy as if the earth was churning. In a moment of urgency, he pointed at a white stone pagoda on the Jade Emperor Summit of Mount Tai, chanted a spell, and the tower immediately flew off and landed directly atop the dragon’s eye. The flood receded, but the entire temple was washed away, leaving only the white stone pagoda. During the Cultural Revolution, when efforts were made to "smash the Four Olds," people dug more than ten feet into the ground and tried to pull the pagoda out with steel cables, yet failed to move it. The pagoda is 6 meters tall, with a maximum width of 1.8 meters, and consists of the body and base.

The upper part of the pagoda features a 13-tiered octagonal eave, with stone holes along each tier’s edge meant for hanging bells. The lower part is an eight-sided stone column. The southern face bears a bas-relief of the Dragon Gate, flanked by warrior guardian deities, while the front and back depict a seated Buddha. Other sides feature faint inscriptions. Its base is a Sumeru-style pedestal, adorned with carvings of flowers and mythical beasts along the waist. It is one of only two surviving Liao Dynasty stone pagodas in northern China and is a key cultural relic protected by Hebei Province. Most remarkably, no matter which direction you look from, the pagoda appears to tilt in the opposite direction. Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa is known as the "Western Wonder," and this white stone pagoda is thus celebrated as the "Eastern Wonder of the Four-Sided Leaning Ancient Pagoda."

Now, through public fundraising, a large temple complex has been restored and rebuilt. Behind the 18.8-meter-high Mahavira Hall lies a rear hall that is a 5

-story high-rise. The first floor serves as the abbot’s reception room, while the second, third, and fourth floors are interconnected and house the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, who “removes all obstacles for all beings.” Since its consecration in 2005, it has enjoyed immense popularity, with numerous Buddhist devotees visiting and tourists flocking in, making it a new tourist attraction in Yongqing County.

Exact location: Daxinge Township, Yongqing County

Transportation: From Beijing, take bus 943 from Yongdingmen to Gu’an, then transfer to the Yongqing Temple bus and get off at Daxinge Township

Address: Daxinge Township, Yongqing County, Langfang City

Type: Temple

Opening hours:

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM