Yunlong Tower

Yunlong Tower

Yunlong Tower is a cultural relics protection unit of Jiangyou City.

Yunlong Tower

Yunlong Tower is located in Longfeng Town. The tower was built in the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1860), facing east with its back to the west. It is an octagonal, nine-story brick pagoda in the pavilion style. The plaque above the tower’s entrance is inscribed with three bold, powerful characters: “Yunlong Tower.” The base is constructed from fifteen layers of stone slabs, standing 4 meters high with each side measuring 2.6 meters. The tower reaches a total height of over 30 meters. The body of the tower tapers upward floor by floor toward the top. There is no solid central column inside the tower. Floors two through seven feature four small windows constructed from stone slabs, while floors eight and nine are solid with no windows. This tower is simple and unadorned, with no imitation wooden architectural elements, and has unique stylistic features. It has been included in the book *Gems of China's Ancient Pagodas* published by Science Press. After the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake, the tower was severely damaged, leaving only the bottom two stories intact and in urgent need of repair and preservation. The Henan Cultural Relics & Architecture Conservation Design and Research Center, based on the actual conditions, formulated a restoration plan in August 2009.