Beamless Pavilion

Beamless Pavilion

The Beamless Pavilion is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Beamless Pavilion is located atop Chezhou Mountain, 10 kilometers south of Fengrun County. Also known as Shoufeng Temple, it was first built in the first year of the Chongxi era of the Liao Dynasty (1032), established by the lay Buddhist Zhang Weng. The pavilion was constructed on a granite foundation and originally had one level, but in the sixth year of Chongxi, it was expanded to three levels. On either side of the pavilion, there was once a tower; today, only the Western Medicine Buddha Pagoda remains. To the east (right), there was a Wenchang Pavilion built during the Republican era. The current pavilion was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, consisting of three levels. Each level features a front arched gateway, and the third level has a terrace surrounded by white marble railings. It has a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered in glazed tiles, with brick carvings mimicking wooden bracket sets beneath the eaves. The entire structure is built from bricks and tiles without a single beam or wooden component, hence the name "Beamless Pavilion." In front of and to the left of the pavilion stands a stone stupa, while to the right is an inscription stele from the 26th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1598) commemorating the renovation of the Chezhou Mountain Beamless Pavilion and Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion. The Wenchang Pavilion was destroyed in an earthquake, but the Beamless Pavilion has since been restored.

The Medicine Buddha Pagoda, also known as the Chezhou Mountain Floral Pagoda, was first built in the first year of the Chongxi era of the Liao Dynasty (1032). It is an octagonal pavilion-style floral pagoda with 11 levels, solid throughout, and entirely constructed of bricks. It stands over 28 meters tall. The base of the pagoda features a richly carved lotus Sumeru pedestal, and four of its main sides have arched false doors carved into them. The other four sides each have a high-relief standing bodhisattva sculpture. Above the ground floor, the pagoda body takes the form of a cone. From the second to the ninth level, each tier is adorned with brick carvings of Buddha statues. The spire of the pagoda has been lost. This pagoda is uniquely constructed, featuring seven tiers of small square pavilion-style niches along the eaves, forming a floral-shaped pagoda body. The lower-level niches take the form of multiple-tiered pavilions, while the six upper tiers are single-story pavilion-style, resulting in an elegant and simple yet graceful design, which is relatively rare among Liao Dynasty floral pagodas.