Shuixi Twin Pagodas

　　The Shuixi Twin Pagodas in Jing County include one large pagoda, the Daguan Pagoda, and one smaller square pagoda. Historical texts such as the Ningguo Prefecture Annals and the Jing County Annals, along with inscriptions on the existing pagodas, confirm that the Daguan Pagoda was first constructed in 1108. The Daguan Pagoda has seven stories and eight sides, with a base diameter of 11 meters and wall thickness of 3.1 meters. Each side features a brick arched doorway, and each level is adorned with short eaves built using the corbeling technique. Below the eaves are wooden-style protruding brackets, and each level has double-layered eaves. The bricks are arranged in intricate patterns, while the corners between levels are formed with semi-circular bricks creating half-columns. The entire structure appears solemn and majestic. The pagoda originally had internal stairs and flooring, but these no longer exist, and there is no definitive record of when they were destroyed. Legend has it that after the Taiping Army occupied Jing County, local wealthy residents and officials sought refuge inside the pagoda to escape them. They removed the stairs at the base, preventing the Taiping Army from ascending. In retaliation, the Taiping Army piled firewood inside the pagoda and set it ablaze from the bottom to the top, destroying the spire in the process. Afterwards, monks found 107 human skulls while clearing the debris. To this day, the inner walls still bear scorch marks from the fire. Interestingly, although the pagoda lacks a spire, this does not detract from its beauty. Instead, the top is surrounded by various trees and weeds—some as thick as small buckets—growing lush and green. Ancient vines twine around the pagoda, adding to its ancient charm. These plants have rooted themselves at the top of the 20-meter-high structure and have survived for hundreds of years through wind and rain, growing even more vigorously with time. This is truly a marvel among ancient pagodas. The Daguan Pagoda’s design is particularly unique and quite rare in the southern regions. Its thick, heavy form features an eight-sided, octagonal shape. Despite having seven levels, there is no visible tapering, giving it a nearly cylindrical appearance. The inner and outer walls of the pagoda are embedded with 36 stone carvings of varying sizes. Among them, a stele on the sixth-level inner wall bears an inscription reading: “...the Baosheng Chan Temple built a thirteen-story Sarira Pagoda for all sentient beings to find refuge... on the 15th day of the third month in the sixth year of the Zhenghe era (1116).” From this, we can see that the pagoda was originally planned to have 13 levels, but due to frequent warfare and limited resources in the late Northern Song Dynasty, construction stopped at the seventh level, leaving the lower half of the pagoda uniformly thick. An examination of the pagoda’s top reveals this reason more clearly. The top is a roughly finished brick dome built using the corbeling method. The previously mentioned destruction of the spire by the Taiping Army may not be entirely accurate. The water scenery map of Shuixi in the Jiaqing-era Jing County Annals depicts the Daguan Pagoda without a spire—only a cluster of tree branches is drawn at the top. Some speculate that the pagoda might never have had a spire from the beginning, possibly intended by builders for future completion. However, over 50 years later (in the 31st year of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty), locals built another small square pagoda about 400 meters to the left of the Daguan Pagoda. A local legend offers an explanation: It is said that this area was once a mountain shaped like a centipede on the verge of becoming a spirit. If the centipede spirit matured, Jing County would produce an abundance of minor officials—essentially, every resident could become an official. At the time, the county magistrate, who was from out of town, grew jealous and fearful of the centipede spirit. He invited a sorcerer from elsewhere to break the spell by constructing a large pagoda at the centipede’s head and a small one at its tail, thereby trapping the spirit. As a result, few locals ever rose to official positions afterward.

　　Clearly, this is a myth created by locals. However, the construction of these two pagodas is closely related to the prevalence of Buddhism at the time. As early as the first year of the Yongping era during the Northern Wei Dynasty (508), a grand temple called Lingyan Temple was built here. It was renovated in the first year of the Shangyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (674) and renamed Tian Gong Shuixi Temple. The eminent Tang Dynasty monk Master Huangbo once presided over the temple, making it a flourishing center of Buddhism and a renowned sacred site in the south. The Baosheng Hall here became a major venue for Buddhist activities. The two Song Dynasty pagodas were built on either side of the Baosheng Chan Temple, clearly intended to serve as “a refuge for all sentient beings.” Inscription steles detailing donations and prayers from devotees are preserved on both pagodas. The Daguan Pagoda is also known as the Chongning Pagoda. The Jing County Annals from the Qing Dynasty state: “The pagoda in front of the Baosheng Chan Temple is the Chongning Pagoda, built during the Daguan era. It is believed to have been initiated in the Chongning era and completed in the Daguan era.” In reality, the pagodas were not completed in the Daguan era but rather between the Zhenghe and Chonghe eras. However, planning and preparation began in the Chongning era, and construction officially started in the second year of the Daguan era. By the sixth year of the Zhenghe era, only six levels had been built. Spanning three dynasties and over ten years—with multiple interruptions—the construction of this pagoda was an extraordinary challenge. By the Southern Song Dynasty, national strength had weakened further, and the socio-economic situation had deteriorated. Locals lacked the resources to complete the upper half of the pagoda (which would have required significantly more work than the lower section), and the spire was never installed. However, driven by devotion to Buddhism and the needs of temple architecture, they built the smaller square pagoda to the left within their means. Of course, another possibility is that the smaller pagoda was constructed by a different Buddhist sect. Originally, there was a temple called Chongqing Temple located behind the small square pagoda. In ancient times, Jing County had many temples, most of which had pagodas, following the tradition that where there is a temple, there is a pagoda. Therefore, Chongqing Temple built the small square pagoda. Although the small square pagoda is much simpler than the Daguan Pagoda in terms of size, scale, cost, and construction techniques, it reflects the same Buddhist philosophy. The pagoda is square-shaped, with the outer edge of the base measuring 3.5 meters (just slightly wider than the wall thickness of the Daguan Pagoda). The northern and southern walls of the first level feature stone-carved Buddha statues, with Buddha halos in relief on the back. The pagoda also houses over ten inscribed steles of donations and stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures. In June 2001, the State Council designated the Shuixi Twin Pagodas as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Currently, cultural heritage authorities are conducting comprehensive restoration work on the twin pagodas, which will soon regain their former glory.

　　Observations of the pagoda’s top reveal this even more clearly. The top is a roughly constructed brick dome using the corbeling method, indicating hasty workmanship. The earlier claim that the spire was destroyed by the Taiping Army may not be entirely accurate. The water scenery illustration of Shuixi in the Jiaqing-era Jing County Annals depicts the Daguan Pagoda without a spire—only a cluster of tree branches is shown at the top. Some therefore speculate that the pagoda might never have had a spire when it was first built, perhaps intentionally left unfinished by the builders for future completion. However, more than 50 years later (in the 31st year of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty), locals built another small square pagoda about 400 meters to the left of the Daguan Pagoda. A local legend offers an explanation: It is said that this area was once a mountain shaped like a centipede on the verge of becoming a spirit. If the centipede spirit matured, Jing County would produce an abundance of minor officials—essentially, every resident could become an official. At the time, the county magistrate, who was from out of town, grew jealous and fearful of the centipede spirit. He invited a sorcerer from elsewhere to break the spell by constructing a large pagoda at the centipede’s head and a small one at its tail, thereby trapping the spirit. As a result, few locals ever rose to official positions afterward.

　　Clearly, this is a myth created by locals. However, the construction of these two pagodas is closely related to the prevalence of Buddhism at the time. As early as the first year of the Yongping era during the Northern Wei Dynasty (508), a grand temple called Lingyan Temple was built here. It was renovated in the first year of the Shangyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (674) and renamed Tian Gong Shuixi Temple. The eminent Tang Dynasty monk Master Huangbo once presided over the temple, making it a flourishing center of Buddhism and a renowned sacred site in the south. The Baosheng Hall here became a major venue for Buddhist activities. The two Song Dynasty pagodas were built on either side of the Baosheng Chan Temple, clearly intended to serve as “a refuge for all sentient beings.” Inscription steles detailing donations and prayers from devotees are preserved on both pagodas. The Daguan Pagoda is also known as the Chongning Pagoda. The Jing County Annals from the Qing Dynasty state: “The pagoda in front of the Baosheng Chan Temple is the Chongning Pagoda, built during the Daguan era. It is believed to have been initiated in the Chongning era and completed in the Daguan era.” In reality, the pagodas were not completed in the Daguan era but rather between the Zhenghe and Chonghe eras. However, planning and preparation began in the Chongning era, and construction officially started in the second year of the Daguan era. By the sixth year of the Zhenghe era, only six levels had been built. Spanning three dynasties and over ten years—with multiple interruptions—the construction of this pagoda was an extraordinary challenge. By the Southern Song Dynasty, national strength had weakened further, and the socio-economic situation had deteriorated. Locals lacked the resources to complete the upper half of the pagoda (which would have required significantly more work than the lower section), and even the spire was not installed. However, driven by devotion to Buddhism and the needs of temple architecture, they built the smaller square pagoda to the left within their means. Of course, another possibility is that the small square pagoda was built by a different Buddhist group. Originally, there was a temple called Chongqing Temple located behind the small square pagoda. In ancient times, Jing County had many temples, most of which had pagodas, following the tradition that where there is a temple, there is a pagoda. Therefore, Chongqing Temple built the small square pagoda. Although the small square pagoda is much simpler than the Daguan Pagoda in terms of size, scale, cost, and construction techniques, it reflects the same Buddhist philosophy. This square-shaped pagoda has an outer base length of 3.5 meters on the first level (only slightly wider than the wall thickness of the Daguan Pagoda). The northern and southern walls of the first level feature stone-carved Buddha statues, with Buddha halos in relief on the back. The pagoda also houses over ten inscribed steles of donations and stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures. In June 2001, the State Council designated the Shuixi Twin Pagodas as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Currently, cultural heritage authorities are conducting comprehensive restoration work on the twin pagodas, which will soon regain their former glory.

　　Upon closer inspection of the pagoda’s top, this becomes even more evident. The top is a roughly finished brick dome constructed using the corbeling method. The previously mentioned destruction of the spire by the Taiping Army may not be entirely accurate. The water scenery map of Shuixi in the Jiaqing-era Jing County Annals depicts the Daguan Pagoda without a spire—only a cluster of tree branches is illustrated at the top. Some therefore speculate that the pagoda might never have had a spire from the beginning, possibly intended by the builders to be completed by future generations. However, more than 50 years later (in the 31st year of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty), locals built another small square pagoda about 400 meters to the left of the Daguan Pagoda. One possible explanation comes from local folklore: it is said that this area was once a centipede-shaped mountain on the verge of spiritual awakening. Had the centipede spirit matured, Jing County would have produced an abundance of minor officials—essentially, every resident could become an official. At the time, the county magistrate, who was from out of town, grew jealous and fearful of the centipede spirit. He invited a sorcerer from elsewhere to break the spell by constructing a large pagoda at the centipede’s head and a small one at its tail, thus trapping the spirit. As a result, very few locals ever became officials.

　　Exact location: Located at the foot of the scenic Shuixi Mountain in Jing County

　　Contact number: 0563---5872589