Shen Suo Pagoda

Shen Suo Pagoda

Shen Suo Pagoda is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guangdong Province.

Shen Suo Pagoda is located on Tagang Ridge, five kilometers west of Shixing County. The ridge is breast-shaped, standing one hundred meters high, with the pagoda built atop it. The pagoda is thirty meters tall and features a nine-story hexagonal brick structure with overlapping eaves. It was built during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. Bricks inscribed with “Reconstructed in the 16th Year of the Daoguang Reign” can be found on the pagoda’s body. Except for the fifth and ninth stories, each level has three doors, positioned alternately across the faces, with interlocking doorways between floors to enhance stability. The main facade faces east, directly overlooking the county town. The horizontal plaque above the main gate on the third floor is inscribed in regular script with “Hui Wen Lan,” while the fifth floor bears the inscription “Wu Xing Kui.” Qingliangshan Pagoda is located in Zhoutian Village, Nanzhen Town, south of Shixing County. Built during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, it is a seven-story hexagonal brick pagoda with a pavilion-style structure featuring penetrations through walls and surrounding corridors. The base platform has been buried under silt, leaving a remaining height of twenty-seven meters. The base side length of the lowest level is three meters, with a wall thickness of 1.6 meters. The pagoda’s body gradually tapers from bottom to top. Each level features double eaves constructed with layered bricks, as well as brick-built corner pillars, brackets, architraves, arched gates, lower eaves, and surrounding corridors. Doors or faux doors are set on all six sides, bonded with a strong mortar mixture of glutinous rice paste, lime, and sand. The spire, the seventh level, and the flooring railings have all been destroyed. In 1990, Shixing County People’s Government designated it as a cultural heritage protection site.

On December 10, 2015, Shen Suo Pagoda was officially approved and announced by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province as part of the Eighth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Guangdong.

Further Reading:

· The Eighth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Guangdong