Manfeilong Pagoda

Manfeilong Pagoda

Manfeilong Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Manfeilong Pagoda is located on the hilltop at the back of Manfeilong Village in Menglong Township, Jinghong County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.

Manfeilong Pagoda was built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1636–1695) and is a famous Theravāda Buddhist structure in Xishuangbanna. The pagoda is made of brick and stone, and the cluster consists of nine pagodas of different sizes. Its body is pure white, with golden tips, resembling jade shoots breaking through the earth—hence it is also known as the "Bamboo Shoot Pagoda." The mid-slope area is covered with rubber tree forests, while the hilltop has been leveled to build the pagoda, creating a spectacular view of green trees and white pagodas complementing each other. The base is an octagonal Sumeru pedestal over one meter high, with a circumference of 42.6 meters. Each of the eight corners of the pedestal features a niche, adorned with colorful cloud patterns along the edges, and houses a Buddha statue. The main pagoda stands in the center, reaching a total height of 16.29 meters, tall and graceful, while the other eight smaller pagodas are arranged around the eight corners, each standing 9.1 meters tall. All nine pagodas are circular and solid, shaped like gourds. Their bodies are pure white, decorated with exquisite ornaments and colorful paintings. At the top, on lotus petal bases, sit gilded, trumpet-shaped spires and finials, giving the appearance of strings of gourd-like forms. The design is upright and majestic, rich in rhythmic elegance, making it a representative masterpiece of stone pagodas and a rare architectural gem in China.

Legend has it that Manfeilong Pagoda is one of the first three pagodas built after Buddhism was introduced to Xishuangbanna. However, it is the only one among them that forms a cluster, built to enshrine the Buddha’s footprints. To this day, beneath the niche directly to the east, there is another niche on the ground preserving a rock resembling a human footprint, said to be the footprint of Sakyamuni. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units