Liuhua Pagoda

Liuhua Pagoda

Liuhua Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Liuhua Pagoda is located at Tongling in Fu Cheng, right beside the main highway, making it highly visible. It is said that the pagoda was built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty by local scholars Yuan Changzuo and Yuan Yingwen, who were both Jieyuan—top-ranking candidates in the imperial examination at the provincial level—figures as renowned as Tang Bohu, and later also became Jinshi (advanced scholars) after passing the metropolitan exams in the capital. They built the pagoda to suppress flooding caused by two rivers that frequently overflowed in the area.

Tongling is about seven or eight li from Xiashan and is influenced by the tidal flows of the Dong River, making it a major water outlet. According to ancient customs, a pagoda had to be built here, just as the Liuhe Pagoda in Hangzhou was built to subdue the tidal bore of the Qiantang River. This pagoda was rebuilt once in 1935, but by then visitors could already see peeling plaster, loose bricks, and signs of danger, so a full restoration was carried out in 1999. The pagoda is built on a foundation of red sandstone, constructed with blue bricks and lime mortar, and has an octagonal floor plan. It consists of seven levels, stands 39.75 meters tall, and each level features eaves that project out with layered brick corbels, along with open corridors where visitors can climb up step by step around the inner walls.

The initiator Yuan Changzuo stated in his “Appeal for the Construction of Liuhua Pagoda” that the reason for building the pagoda was: “Wentang, Zengbu, and Chashan are three townships standing as one, all bordered by two streams that flow out through the gorge to reach the Dong River—essentially following the southeast current. A pagoda should be erected to suppress it.” Tongling was also the site where Xiong Fei resisted the Yuan Dynasty and where the people of Dongguan fought against Japanese invaders during the War of Resistance, giving it rich historical and cultural significance as well as educational value.

Xiakou Community: Located in the northeastern part of Dongcheng District, Xiakou Community lies on the eastern bank of the Dong River, beneath the towering Liuhua Pagoda. Covering a total area of 1.67 square kilometers, the community has a registered population of 1,229 and approximately 5,000 new Dongguan residents. It was once the frontline where the Chinese Communist Party led the people of Dongguan in armed resistance against the Japanese invasion of South China, and it was here that the famous “Battle of Liuhua” took place. It is also the hometown of General Xiong Fei, a hero who resisted the Yuan Dynasty during the Song Dynasty, and the community houses the historical and cultural site of General Xiong Fei’s Tomb. The community enjoys a superior geographical location and convenient transportation, with access to Guanlong Highway, Guanjie Highway, Dongjiang Avenue, the canal... More details about Xiakou Community++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units