Hechuan Wenfeng Pagoda

Hechuan Wenfeng Pagoda

Hechuan Wenfeng Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality.

Hechuan Wenfeng Pagoda is located on Nanjin Street in Heyang Town, Hechuan City, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

The Hechuan Wenfeng Pagoda in Hechuan District, Chongqing, is located on Nanjin Street in the urban area of Hechuan. Due to its grayish-white appearance, it is commonly known as the White Pagoda. According to the “Hezhou Annals” and inscriptions within the pagoda, Wenfeng Pagoda is also called Zhenxing Pagoda. It was first built in the 15th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1810 AD) by Dong Chun, the magistrate of Hezhou Prefecture, and has a total of 9 stories. In the 16th year of the Daoguang reign (1836 AD), Li Zonghang, then magistrate, added 4 more stories, bringing the total to 13 stories with an overall height of 62.2 meters.

The pagoda features an octagonal, dense-eave brick structure. The inner diameter of the ground floor is over 4 meters, while that of the top floor is less than 2 meters. The pagoda is cone-shaped with a solid conical core. A spiral stone staircase leads from the ground floor up to the 11th floor. Each level is carved with round sculptures of deities used for worship, and the top floor originally housed a wooden statue of “Kuixing Dotting the Star,” now replaced by a clay sculpture. Above each doorway on the outer wall of the pagoda is a lintel inscribed with phrases such as “To Gaze a Thousand Miles,” “Climb Yet Higher,” “Can’t Bear to Stop,” “Overlooking Jiafu,” “Soaring Aloft,” “Path to Penglai,” “Spring Breeze as Wished,” and “A Myriad of Scenes,” inlaid with blue-and-white porcelain tiles, showcasing the pagoda’s majestic presence and conveying various wishes.

Wenfeng Pagoda is a type of feng shui pagoda. Visitors climbing to the top can enjoy panoramic views of mountains, waters, cityscapes, and buildings.

According to the “Hezhou Annals” and inscriptions inside the pagoda, Hechuan Wenfeng Pagoda was initiated in March of the 15th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1810 AD) by Dong Chun, the magistrate of Hezhou, who began fundraising for its construction. It was completed in April of the following year, consisting of 9 stories. In the 16th year of the Daoguang reign (1836 AD), additional floors were added, bringing the total to 13. After multiple rounds of preservation and restoration, the ancient Wenfeng Pagoda is now well-preserved.

Wenfeng Pagoda faces northeast and is situated southwest. The base of the pagoda is 70 centimeters high, with a hexagonal plane, each side measuring 1 meter. The ancient pagoda is built with strip stones, topped by a thirteen-tiered dense-eave brick tower, reaching a total height of 62.2 meters. The ground floor is 4.05 meters wide and 5.23 meters high on each side. The eaves are constructed with protruding bricks. Each floor’s entrance is located on the northeast side. The ground floor entrance is arched, with carvings of the Eight Immortals above the door lintel, and the horizontal plaque inscribed with the three characters “Wenfeng Pagoda,” flanked by carvings of “Two Dragons Fighting for a Pearl” and “A Pair of Phoenixes Facing the Sun.” The plaques above the entrances of the second to thirteenth floors are inscribed with four-character phrases such as “To Gaze a Thousand Miles,” “Climb Yet Higher,” “Can’t Bear to Stop,” “Overlooking Jiafu,” “Soaring Aloft,” “Path to Penglai,” “Spring Breeze as Wished,” and “A Myriad of Scenes.” The pagoda spire is crowned with a precious bottle top.

Inside the pagoda, there are 11 floors, with each solid column between levels featuring a Buddha niche on the front. All Buddha statues in the niches have been destroyed. The horizontal plaque above the niche on the ground floor is inscribed in regular script with the four characters “Cloud Road Soars High,” signed “Autumn, 15th Year of Jiaqing, Dong Chun, Magistrate of Hezhou.” Niches on the second to ninth floors have been newly fitted with clay reliefs of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Heyang.” The 10th floor restores a clay round sculpture of “Kuixing Dotting the Star.” The 11th floor has no niche but is hollow inside, with arched openings on all four sides, allowing visitors to admire the surrounding scenery from the pagoda.

Wenfeng Pagoda is tall and elegant in shape. Climbing to the top provides sweeping views of mountains, waters, city walls, and buildings. It is now an important scenic spot and viewpoint in the city, open to the public. For just a 5-yuan ticket, visitors can go directly to the top of the pagoda from the inside.

Having endured over 200 years of weathering, the pagoda had suffered significant erosion, especially when the gourd-shaped spire at the top tilted during the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12. In December 2008, Hechuan allocated funds for the pagoda's restoration, with repairs completed in 2009. The pagoda officially reopened to the public on December 30, 2012. From the top, visitors can not only get a close-up view of the confluence of the Jialing River and Fu River at the Duck Beak area in the urban district but also gaze afar at Fishing City and the meeting point of the Qu River and Jialing River at Quhe Beak under Yunmen Mountain, enjoying the full beauty of the Three Rivers.

“The Fu River flows eastward, with towers faint in the distance; the Jialing River lies to the south, lined with lush green trees…” This is a tribute to Wenfeng Pagoda from the “Ode to Wenfeng Pagoda.” With a history of over 200 years, the ancient Wenfeng Pagoda stands by the river, exuding a sense of historical vicissitude, as if an elder silently witnessing the changes of Hechuan through time.

In April 1992, Wenfeng Pagoda was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit in Chongqing. In 2000, it was listed among the first batch of Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government.

Nanjin Street Subdistrict: The Nanjin Street Subdistrict Office is the new political, economic, and cultural center of Hechuan. It borders the Jialing River and Fu River, backs onto Jiufeng Mountain Provincial Forest Park, faces the ancient battlefield of Fishing City, and encompasses the Jiangcheng Industrial Park of Chongqing. Covering a total area of 95.3 square kilometers, including 6.1 square kilometers of urban area, it has a population of 142,000, comprising 86,000 urban residents, 56,000 agricultural residents, and 34,000 rural laborers. The subdistrict governs 16 villages and 11 communities. There are 97 Party organizations (including general branches and Party committees) with 3,978 Party members. In 2006, the regional GDP reached 7... Detailed information about Nanjin Street Subdistrict++