ZhenSheng Temple

White Pagoda of Puci Temple

The White Pagoda of Puci Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The white pagoda is located within Puci Temple in the southwest corner of TaiGu County, Shanxi Province. The temple site was originally the village of BaiTa, where the county seat was relocated during the Northern Qi Dynasty. The temple was first built in the eighth year of the TaiShi era of the Jin Dynasty (272 AD), originally named Boundless Temple. It was renovated during the ZhiPing era of the Northern Song Dynasty and renamed “Puci Temple.”

It was further renovated in the fifth year of the YuanYou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1090 AD), and a pagoda was built inside the temple. Towering into the sky, its top features a stone stupa of Victory. Its white color has remained bright despite years of whitewash, earning it the popular name “White Pagoda.” It underwent multiple repairs throughout the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and was restored again in the 32nd year of the GuangXu era, when it was referred to as “Boundless Temple.”

The pagoda has an octagonal floor plan, seven stories, and is 43.6 meters tall. Each level has eaves and a balcony, supported by brackets beneath the eaves and balcony. The arched doorways on each level connect to the exterior eaves, and are adorned with carved false windows and doors. The ground floor inside the pagoda is a small square chamber with a stairway leading up. From the second floor upward, the interior is hollow, with installed flooring and wooden stairs for visitors to climb.

This design represents a transitional form from the hollow towers of the Tang Dynasty to the solid-core towers of the Song Dynasty. Fifty-six eave corners are decorated with glazed ceramic dragon heads, and iron bells hang from the top, chiming melodiously in the wind. The pagoda is white in color, with a pavilion-style exterior that is majestic, exquisite, and visible from miles away. The temple has a history of over 1,700 years and is one of the key cultural relics protection units in Shanxi Province.