Yunju Temple Pagoda

Yunju Temple Pagoda

Yunju Temple Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yunju Temple Pagoda

Located on Quchi Mountain in Daqu Village, Nanmu Township, Pengzhou City, it was built in the first year of Daguan during the Northern Song Dynasty (1107) and was named after Yunju Temple. The pagoda is a square, thirteen-tiered, closely-eaved brick structure, standing 20.86 meters tall in total, and tapers inward from the bottom up. The outer edge of the base is inlaid with strip stones. The interior of the pagoda is hollow, with a tightly structured inner framework. The body is whitewashed, the walls are decorated with reliefs, and wind bells hang from each eave corner.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides and protected by ranges of peaks, Yunju Temple Pagoda naturally forms a barrier against storms. Its solid structure has helped it withstand earthquakes relatively well. Most importantly, its remote location, deep in the mountains and far from human activity, has protected it from damage over nearly a thousand years, making it the best-preserved of the three pagodas. Viewed from the nearby hillside, the top of the pagoda is covered with miscellaneous trees, while the pagoda itself stands slender and graceful.

The decorations on this pagoda are exquisitely crafted. Iron hooks under the eaves were originally used to hang iron bells—12 on each tier, totaling 156—but only a dozen or so remain. When the mountain wind blows, their sound can be heard for miles. At the four corners of the pagoda top, two sculptures resembling phoenixes still remain. These are known as “iron-cast round sculptures of the Vermilion Bird” (Zhuque); there were originally four, but two were stolen in the past. Buddhist story murals and inscriptions can still be clearly seen on the pagoda walls.