Kaijiang Baoquan Pagoda

Kaijiang Baoquan Pagoda

Baoquan Pagoda is a protected cultural relic site of Sichuan Province.

Kaijiang Baoquan Pagoda (Kaijiang County)

Baoquan Pagoda was originally built during the Ming Dynasty. It is situated on Baoquan Mountain, around 800 meters north of the intersection of the Dawa-Kai-Xuan Highway, in the northwest of BaoTaBa, Pu’an Town, about five kilometers west of Kaijiang County town. The pagoda faces Jinshan Temple, which lies roughly two kilometers away, across the mountain and is surrounded by picturesque fields, scenic hills, lush bamboo, and dense woods. The white tower stands elegantly amid the vast waters and thousands of acres of fertile land—truly a spring of precious bounty. It is a significant cultural landmark along the golden tourist route from Dazhou to the Three Gorges.

The pagoda faces south with a 40-degree western orientation. It has an octagonal floor plan and is a seven-story brick-and-wood pavilion-style tower. Each level is 4.1 meters tall, with the total height reaching 33.6 meters. The structure tapers with each ascending floor, and each story features windows. Each side of the pagoda is 3.3 meters long and 1.1 meters high. The first level is built upon the base, with each side measuring 3.3 meters and walls 1.5 meters thick, starting five meters above ground level. The arched gateway is topped with stone carvings featuring “Double Phoenixes Facing the Sun.” On either side of the door lintel are sculpted statues of a “Green Lion” and a “White Elephant,” standing guard within the pagoda chamber. Above the doorway is a horizontal plaque inscribed with three bold Chinese characters “Bao Quan Ta” (“Baoquan Pagoda”), each character measuring 0.3 meters square. Flanking the plaque are relief carvings of theatrical figures that decorate the pagoda. The front side of the second level bears a vertical plaque inscribed with “Long Live the Emperor” (as was customary at the time), surrounded by high-relief carvings of “Five Dragons Holding Up the Sacred.” Each level includes a decorative eave with upturned corners. The pagoda is crowned with a dome-shaped finial; atop the iron pole are two stacked inverted bowls, topped with a precious bead and a spire-like wheel, bringing the total height of the finial to 4.3 meters. Standing atop the peak of Baoquan Mountain and surrounded by flat plains, the pagoda appears even more majestic by contrast—the mountain gains beauty from the pagoda, and the pagoda stands proudly through the mountain’s strength. The structure is coated in chalky white, earning it the nicknames “White Bao Pagoda” and “Pagoda Visible for Miles.”

The tower is painted in clean, bright colors, with beautiful design and naturally harmonious painted murals on each façade. Each level's eave consists of six layers of grey bricks extending outwards, adorned with three tiers of decoratively carved wooden-style brackets. Above the brackets are beams that support the projecting corners of the eaves. At the tips of the eaves sit sculpted “chimeras” (decorative roof ornaments) that echo the shape of the tower itself. Originally, bronze bells hung below each corner of the eaves, producing pleasant chimes when stirred by the wind. Inside, every level has a wooden floor; staircases connect each floor, spiraling upwards along the right side all the way to the top, reflecting clear architectural features of Ming Dynasty pavilion-style towers.

Protective zone: an area extending 25 meters beyond the base of the pagoda.

Construction control zone: an area extending 10 meters beyond the protective zone.