Zhen'gang Pagoda

Zhen'gang Pagoda

Zhen'gang Pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Zhen'gang Pagoda is located on a large earthen mound east of Yun’gang Village, Changxindian, Fengtai District, Beijing. It was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site in 1957.

The pagoda was built during the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234). Legend has it that the site was situated on a dragon vein, and the builders were concerned that the vein might collapse or shift. To suppress it, they constructed the pagoda and renamed it “Zhen’gang Pagoda.” It was renovated in the 40th year of the Ming Jiajing era (1561).

The pagoda is constructed from brick, has an octagonal floor plan, is solid, and stands 18 meters tall in total. The base features exquisitely simple and ancient brick carvings. Each side of the pagoda is three meters long, with a total circumference of 24 meters, and it follows the style of a flower pagoda. The upper part is adorned with carved brick brackets, and the spandrels are engraved with blooming potted flowers, fierce beast heads, and deity figures, all rendered with exceptional detail. The body of the pagoda has short eaves extending outward, topped with a Sumeru pedestal that supports seven tiers of Buddha niches arranged in a massive conical floral bundle. The first tier of niches takes the form of a two-story pavilion-style square tower, while those from the second tier upward are all single-story pavilion-style square towers. Above the first tier, densely packed Buddha niches encircle the structure, each housing a Buddha statue—some with hands clasped in prayer, others with arms raised—rendered with solemn and lifelike expressions. From the second tier’s finial upward, the Buddha statues on each face are neatly aligned. The spire consists of an octagonal base atop the finial, crowned with a large precious bead, and the overall shape of the pagoda shows a distinct tapering form. Few such ancient pagodas remain in China today, making this one particularly valuable.

Renovations were carried out in 1958, 1982, and 2001.

[Location] East of Yun’gang Village, Changxindian, Fengtai District

[Transportation] Take Bus 339 to Yun’gang Station, then head toward the northern Yun’gang area to the railway bridge

Location

Yun’gang Village, Fengtai District, Beijing

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Beijing

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units