Zhou Dao's Pagoda

Zhou Dao's Pagoda

Zhou Dao's Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province.

Zhou Dao's Pagoda

Located in Da'ao Village, Guishan Township, Macheng City, it is a Ming Dynasty stone pagoda built in the 38th year of the Wanli era (1610). The pagoda faces south and features a wooden-style bracket-and-mortise structure, consisting of six levels made from strip stones, standing three zhang tall and one zhang in diameter, in the shape of a hexagonal cone. Each level above the first is slightly inset. From the first to the fifth levels, the undersides of the eaves are decorated with brackets and carved floral patterns, with the edges of the eaves designed to resemble tiled roofing. Above the pagoda entrance is an inscribed seal script character “大同” (Great Harmony) in intaglio. The finial is a stone lotus pedestal supporting a precious bottle top. To the right front of the pagoda stands a stone stele about 3 chi wide and over 8 chi tall, with its inscription in intaglio regular script arranged vertically from right to left in three columns: “Presented by Jinshi and Imperial Censor Mei Zhihuan, Pagoda of Dharma Master Dao Yi, Carved and Erected by Yan Zhiqi on the Tenth Day of the Tenth Month, Year Renzi, Wanli Era.” This pagoda provides tangible material for the study of the spread of local Buddhist culture and the architecture of Buddhist pagodas.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units