Fahua Temple Pagoda

Fahua Temple Pagoda

Fahua Temple Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Shanxi Province.

Fahua Temple Pagoda (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Address: No. 37, Tasijie Street, Chengguan District, Datong City

Fahua Temple Pagoda faces west and was built with its back to the east. According to the 1830 (the 10th year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty) “Datong County Annals,” it is recorded: “Built during the Ming Dynasty, it had long fallen into disuse, but the brick pagoda remains.” This indicates that Fahua Temple was originally established in the Ming Dynasty. Due to years of neglect, the temple buildings were destroyed, leaving only Fahua Temple Pagoda.

Fahua Temple Pagoda is a white stupa of the covered-bowl style, consisting of a base, body, and top. It is relatively small in size. The pagoda is built atop a hexagonal platform. The base consists of two tiers of octagonal Sumeru pedestals with entasis. Above this sits the covered-bowl-style body of the pagoda, which is relatively tall and slender, being thinner at the bottom, thicker in the middle, resembling the waist of a bottle. On all four sides of the pagoda body are flame-door openings that house Buddha statues. Above each flame door and on its sides are three glazed deities. Above these is the "thirteen heavens" structure, adorned with yellow, green, and purple circular glazed eaves. There are eight tiers of spire wheels, above which are stacked heavenly and earthly discs, crowned with a gilded copper upward-facing lotus and a precious bead finial. The pagoda body is delicate, closely resembling a bottle shape, with flame doors on all four sides. The pagoda gradually tapers as it rises, and the upper and lower diameters of the spire wheels gradually decrease—features typical of Ming Dynasty pagodas.

Fahua Temple Pagoda features elegant design and exquisite architectural craftsmanship, exemplifying typical Ming Dynasty architecture with distinctive regional characteristics.

In 2016, Fahua Temple Pagoda was included in the Fifth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units of Shanxi Province.

Source: Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units of Shanxi Province