Huairun Gongde Pagoda

Huairun Gongde Pagoda

The Gongde Pagoda is situated on the Shiren Mountain slope, west of Emaokou Village, on the extension of Qingliang Mountain, at an altitude of 1,243 meters. It is an octagonal, nine-story brick pagoda designed in the Liao Dynasty architectural style. Funded by China United Coalbed Methane Co., Ltd. and constructed by Shanxi Wutai Mountain Construction Engineering Company, the pagoda began construction in April 2012 and was completed that October.

The pagoda is built directly atop the hill, standing 41.8 meters tall with a diameter of 9.26 meters. The first floor is about 7 meters high, and the main entrance is through an arched doorway on the east side leading to the inner chamber, which houses a statue of the Buddha. The exterior is adorned with six carved bas-relief panels depicting classic historical tales: “Fan Zhongyan Watering Horses and Tossing Coins,” “Confucius Inquiring About Rites,” “Guan Yu Showing Mercy to Cao Cao,” “Emperor Yue’s Mother Tattooing a Letter on His Back,” “Shun Plowing the Fields at Li Mountain,” and “Sima Guang Smashing the Vat to Save a Friend.”

The pagoda has eaves on each of its nine levels, with each layer of eaves projecting fifteen layers of bricks. Between the eaves, there are 64 niches, each containing a uniquely shaped stone-carved Buddha statue. The top of the pagoda features a steeple composed of a brick-made Sumeru pedestal, a water-receiving plate, a five-tiered wheel, a precious bead, and a spire pole—all forged from rare copper alloy—and the entire assembly reaches a height of about 4 meters.

It neighbors the Zhongyi Temple in Emaokou and stands close to the brick pagoda of Huayan Temple on Qingliang Mountain. It bears witness to the economic takeoff of the Huairun region and enriches the extended landscape of the Qingliang Mountain tourist area.