Shousheng Temple Pagoda in Nanyang Village

Shousheng Temple Pagoda in Nanyang Village

Shousheng Temple Pagoda in Nanyang Village is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Shousheng Temple Pagoda is located within the school premises of Nanyang Village, Liwang Township, Wanrong County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. It has an octagonal floor plan, covering an area of approximately 60 square meters. Its construction date is unknown, but based on its architectural style, it is believed to be a building from the Song Dynasty. The pagoda has eleven stories in total and is a pavilion-style brick pagoda. The body of the pagoda is octagonal, standing about 30 meters tall, with the first level having sides that are 2.8 meters long and a diameter of 6.6 meters, and a height of 5 meters. The first level features carved brick eaves with wooden-style bracket sets (dougong), while levels two and above all have corbelled brick eaves. Except for the ninth and eleventh levels, all other levels have arched brick doorways on the southern façade. The height of each level gradually decreases from the bottom up, and the spire of the pagoda has been destroyed. Beside the pagoda, there is an iron bell from the Jin Dynasty, featuring a “pulao”-shaped knob and a round shoulder. It was cast in the 12th year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty (1172 AD), stands 2.35 meters tall, has a diameter of 1.65 meters, and is 0.05 meters thick. The bell is inscribed all around and is a relic of the former Shengshou Temple. On January 12, 1996, the People's Government of Shanxi Province designated Nanyang Shousheng Temple Pagoda as a Shanxi Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. On May 3, 2013, it was announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units