Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, also known as the Sakyamuni Pagoda, has the full name of the Buddha Palace Temple Sakyamuni Pagoda. It is located in the Buddha Palace Temple to the northwest of Yingxian County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, and is commonly referred to as the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. Constructed in the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty (1056 AD), with additional work completed in the sixth year of the Mingchang era of the Jin Dynasty (1195 AD), it is the oldest and tallest existing wooden pagoda in the world, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and a National AAAA-level tourist attraction. Along with Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa and Paris’s Eiffel Tower, it is known as one of the “Three Great Wonders of the World.” In 2016, the Sakyamuni Pagoda was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest wooden pagoda in the world.

The Sakyamuni Pagoda was completed in the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty (1056 AD). It was initiated by Empress Xiao, wife of Emperor Xingzong of Liao, and built under the decree of Monk Tian. By the fourth year of the Mingchang era of the Jin Dynasty, further renovations were completed. It was built as an ancestral temple to demonstrate imperial prestige, and also served purposes such as Buddhist worship, sightseeing, and elevated enemy surveillance.

The Sakyamuni Pagoda stands 67.31 meters tall, with a base diameter of 30.27 meters, and features an octagonal floor plan. The entire pagoda used 3,000 cubic meters of red pine timber, weighing over 2,600 tons, and is constructed entirely of wood. Inside the pagoda are enshrined two sacred tooth relics of Sakyamuni Buddha.

On October 19, 2020, Xinhua Daily Telegraph published an article stating that in the early 1990s, the restoration of the pagoda was officially approved, but the restoration plan took nearly 30 years to finalize..

In the 21st year of the Yongle era (1423 AD), the Ming Emperor Chengzu led his troops to campaign in Xuanyang, delivering a strong counterattack against the invading Tatars and Oirats. On his way back to the capital, he stayed in Yingzhou. He personally wrote the four characters “Junji Shen Gong” (Lofty Divine Work). This plaque was refurbished in the fifth month of the 41st year of the Wanli era (1613 AD). In the 12th year of the Zhengde era (1517 AD), the Tatar Prince invaded Yanghe (Yanggao, Shanxi) and raided Yingzhou. The Ming General Wang Xun engaged in battle and was besieged in Yingzhou. The Ming Emperor Wuzong led troops to reinforce Yingzhou.

In October, the two armies fought fiercely for six days in Yingzhou, and the Tatar Prince retreated. This decisive battle delivered a significant blow to the Tatars, bringing several years of peace to the border. The following July, to celebrate the victory at Yingzhou, Emperor Wuzong visited Yingzhou for the second time, ascended the pagoda to feast and honor his meritorious generals, and inscribed the words “Tian Xia Qi Guan” (Wonder of the World) to praise the wooden pagoda.