Qiyansi Pagoda Forest

Qiyansi Pagoda Forest

The Qiyansi Pagoda Forest is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Qiyansi Pagoda Group

Era: Tang to Ming

Address: Shangqiyansi Temple, Hanyang Town, Yongji City

The "Puzhou Prefecture Annals" from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty records that Qiyansi Temple was originally named "Lingju Temple." During the Jiande era of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (572–577) and the Renshou era of the Sui Dynasty (601–604), it was renamed "Qiyansi Temple." Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty once donated a foreign tribute agate cup to the temple as an offering. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Qiyansi Temple was the most renowned among the temples in the Hezhong region, consisting of an upper, middle, and lower temple. The middle and lower temples have been lost. The existing upper temple features a grand complex of pagodas.

Currently preserved are one circular solid Tang Dynasty (Tianbao era) meditation master pagoda, one stone pagoda built during the Later Tang Dynasty (Tongguang era), one Song Dynasty five-story hexagonal dense-eave stupa standing 17 meters tall, two Yuan Dynasty hexagonal two-story pagodas, and 17 meditation master pagodas from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Except for the Song Dynasty pagoda located on the western peak, the other pagodas are clustered in the eastern lawn, forming a pagoda group that gathers master stupas from various dynasties.

In addition, there are over ten stone tablets from the Sui, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

On October 7, 2019, the Qiyansi Pagoda Forest was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Location

Southwest of Yongji City, Shanxi Province

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units