Chigang Pagoda

Chigang Pagoda

Chigang Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangzhou City.

Chigang Pagoda is a feng shui pagoda built during the Ming Dynasty, located on a red sandstone hill in Chigang, Haizhu District. It was first proposed for construction in the 47th year of the Wanli reign (1619) by the imperial inspector Wang Mingxuan. The project was halted halfway due to funding shortages and was later completed between the Tianqi years (1621–1627) under the supervision of Minister Li Daiwen.

This pagoda is an octagonal brick structure built in a pavilion style, with an octagonal straight-well inner chamber. It appears to have nine stories from the outside but actually consists of 17 levels, standing about 50 meters tall. The first level has a diameter of 12.5 meters and walls 3.8 meters thick, with three entrances. The north and south entrances lead to the first-floor inner chamber, which houses a granite slab known as the “divine worship platform.” A large section of blue bricks on the north wall was removed during the Republican era and replaced with red bricks. A granite stele measuring 0.36 x 0.27 meters, inscribed with a prohibition notice against pagoda brick theft issued by the Panyu County Government, was embedded in the repaired area. The west entrance has stairs leading to the second floor (a hidden level) inner chamber. These stairs spiral up around the inner wall to the top level, but the wooden flooring has now collapsed, making the upper levels inaccessible. Each level of the pagoda features a shrine. The base of the pagoda is also octagonal, with each side measuring 5.5 meters and a height of 1 meter, constructed from red sandstone. The base surface was originally paved with gray porphyry, though the eastern side was later repaired with granite. Stone steps at three of the openings lead up to the base level.

The eight corners of the pagoda base are adorned with 16th- and 17th-century stone statues of powerful figures supporting the pagoda. These vividly carved statues are fine examples of Ming Dynasty stone sculpture in Guangzhou and serve as important physical artifacts for the study of Ming Dynasty stone carving art and the city’s maritime trade. The hill beneath the pagoda features red soil and rocks, which inspired the name “Chigang” (Red Hill). With an elevation of 20 to 30 meters, the area was once surrounded by the Pearl River. Later siltation transformed it into farmland and fish ponds, and by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, villages had formed in the vicinity. Due to its towering presence, the pagoda forms a feng shui pair with the nearby Pazhou Pagoda to the east, serving as symbolic towers at the Pearl River’s exit from Guangzhou.

Chigang Subdistrict: Located in the central-northern part of Haizhu District, Chigang Subdistrict stretches from Xincun Bridge in the east, connecting to Pazhou Subdistrict, to Xingang Subdistrict (at the intersection near the Sixth Middle School) and the Binjiang East Tunnel entrance in the west, adjacent to Xingang Subdistrict. It borders Fengyang Subdistrict to the southwest, Jianghai Subdistrict to the southeast, and faces the Pearl River to the north. The subdistrict covers an area of 5.73 square kilometers. It comprises 22 community neighborhood committees. By the end of 2007, the registered population was 83,693, with a permanent resident population of 177,105.

The subdistrict has established offices including the Party-Government Office, Urban Management Division, Comprehensive Governance Office, Civil Affairs Division, Population and Family Planning Office, Judicial Office, and Retiree Management Office... More detailed information about Chigang Subdistrict ++

Further reading:

· Third Batch of Guangzhou Cultural Relic Protection Units