Master Minghui Pagoda

Master Minghui Pagoda

Master Minghui Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Master Minghui Pagoda (Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Five Dynasties

Address: 25.5 km east of Pingshun County, Hongni Village, Bulanyan Township

Originally part of the “Haifu Temple” complex, the temple was destroyed early on, leaving only the pagoda standing. It is a square stone pagoda and is the only surviving stone pagoda from the Five Dynasties period in China.

According to a stone stele from the third year of Changxing during the Later Tang Dynasty (932 AD) embedded in the back wall of the pagoda, in the fourth year of Qianfu during the Tang Dynasty (877 AD), Master Minghui presided over Haifu Temple. On the 18th day of the first lunar month, he was suddenly assassinated. Later, under the order of the Luzhou military governor, his disciple Chongzhao held the relics and built this pagoda in honor of the master. The existing stone pagoda is an original structure from the Tang Dynasty.

The pagoda is about 6 meters high with a square floor plan. Its base is built of bluestone, approximately 1.5 meters high. The body of the pagoda features a single-eave, four-pillar design, with a door on the south side and a hollow interior. The top has a four-sloped roof complete with tile ridges, and in the center is a corbelled structure carved with mountain flowers and banana leaves. The finial is waisted, and the base is adorned with a pedestal, lotus petals, and a precious bead. On either side of the doorway are carvings of Vajra guardians, while the section above the door that supports the eaves is carved with musicians—some playing instruments, some dancing—with lively expressions. The sides are decorated with flowing engraved scroll patterns. A stone stele from the third year of Changxing during the Later Tang Dynasty (932 AD) is embedded in the back wall of the pagoda, providing evidence of the pagoda’s carving date.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units