Yingde Wenfeng Pagoda

Yingde Wenfeng Pagoda

Yingde Wenfeng Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Wenfeng Pagoda is located in Jiangnan Village, Dazhan Town, on the eastern bank of the Beijiang River in downtown Yingde, Guangdong Province. It was designated as a “Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Yingde City” in 1985. The pagoda has a history of over 390 years and has been struck by lightning twice—resulting in the loss of a row of dog-tooth-shaped bricks on the northern side—but the main structure remains well-preserved.

The pagoda is an open-eave, hollow brick structure with a flat terrace, facing south. It has eight sides and nine stories, standing 48.5 meters tall. Each level features eight ship-cabin-style arched gates, with the four gates on the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest all leading to the inner core. The other four gates are outer wall niches, and the pagoda is topped with a finial.

The first level is 5.48 meters high, with an outer circumference of 34.4 meters and a wall thickness of 3.4 meters, covering a floor area of about 220 square meters. The dimensions decrease progressively with each higher level. The flat terrace is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, built with six layers of dog-tooth-shaped bricks in a corbelled manner to form the eaves, then restored using the same method, followed by the addition of seven layers of flat bricks, and another set of dog-tooth-shaped bricks corbelled to form the upper terrace. Each corner subtly includes a half-hexagonal column, with the brick columns connected in a lintel-style pattern. The construction method from the second level upward is largely similar to that of the first level. According to informed sources, the original pagoda had floorboards on each level and stairs that allowed climbing to the top, but due to age, the stairs have completely deteriorated.

Wenfeng Pagoda looks well-proportioned and “front-facing” from any angle, fully demonstrating the ingenuity of the laboring people during the Ming Dynasty. It complements the Mingshian Peak of Nanshan Mountain, creating a picturesque and mutually enhancing scene. It also faces downtown Yingde across the river. Viewed from the city center to the south, the towering pagoda stands proudly atop the flat farmland, majestic and spectacular.

The pagoda has a history of over 390 years and has been struck by lightning twice—resulting in the loss of a row of dog-tooth-shaped bricks on the northern side—but the main structure remains well-preserved. In 1981, the Yingde County (City) Government allocated 5,000 yuan for the first time to repair the pagoda’s foundation. In 1992 and 1994, an additional 350,000 yuan was allocated to reinforce the foundation, base, slope protection, and to build a dock. In 1998, due to the impact of the Feilaixia Reservoir project on the pagoda’s slope protection, with assistance from the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Feilaixia Hydropower Hub Command invested 180,000 yuan to reinforce the slope protection on both sides of the dock. Today, aside from a slight eastward tilt of the pagoda body, Wenfeng Pagoda retains its majestic presence, witnessing Yingde’s past, present, and future.

Dazhan Town: [Geographical Location] Dazhan Town is situated in the central part of Yingde City, at the confluence of the Beijiang and Wengjiang Rivers. To the east it connects with Donghua Town, to the south it neighbors Lianjiangkou Town, to the west it faces Yingcheng Subdistrict Office—the seat of Yingde’s municipal Party committee and government—across the river, and to the north it borders Wangbu Town. Dazhan is a transportation hub of Yingde City, boasting well-developed water and land transport. It is home to Yingde Railway Station, with the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway Double Track running north-south through the entire town. Roads extend in all directions: to the east, the Changtai Highway leads to the Changhu Scenic Area; to the south, the Yinying Highway connects to Guangzhou; and the Yingfo First-Class Highway (38 kilometers long) starts in Dazhan Town and ends... More details about Dazhan Town++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units