Dangtu Lingyun Pagoda

　　“Though Dangtu is small, it has three pagodas and two floating bridges.” This is a popular saying among the people of Dangtu County. The three pagodas refer to Huangshan Pagoda in the north of the city, Jinzhu Pagoda in the west, and Lingyun Pagoda in the east. Huangshan Pagoda and Jinzhu Pagoda still stand proudly today, but Lingyun Pagoda was destroyed by wind and rain in the early 20th century. Originally located atop Lingyun Mountain in the eastern part of Dangtu County, Lingyun Pagoda was built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. It was initially a stone pagoda named Wenfeng Pagoda, but collapsed due to an unstable foundation. In the 40th year of the Wanli reign (1612), it was rebuilt and renamed Lingyun Pagoda. Made of brick, the pagoda was solid inside and not open to climbing. Lingyun Pagoda, together with Huangshan Pagoda in the north and Jinzhu Pagoda in the west, “stood as three towering structures, forming a celestial triad. Feng shui masters regarded them as guardians of the north, serving as the main stars of the three counties.” In June of the third year of the Xuantong reign (1911), it was destroyed by a violent storm.

　　Restoring Lingyun Pagoda has been a long-cherished wish of the people of Dangtu. The “three pagodas and two floating bridges” are not only a testament to Dangtu’s long history but also a source of pride for its residents. On the outskirts of an ancient city, three historic pagodas standing in a triad around the town is a rare sight not only in Anhui but across the whole country. In the early Qing Dynasty, Johan Nieuhof, a member of the Dutch embassy to China, featured the three pagodas as the iconic symbols of Taiping Prefecture in his book *An Embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham, Emperour of China*. Rebuilding Lingyun Pagoda will restore the grandeur of Dangtu County’s “three pagodas standing as a celestial triad.”

　　The reconstruction of Lingyun Pagoda was officially approved by the county’s Development and Reform Commission in August 2009. Professor Fang Xianda, an expert in ancient architecture from the province, was invited to design the pagoda in the style of Ming Dynasty architecture. After gathering opinions from various experts, the construction design was carried out by Ma’anshan Huihua Architectural Design Co., Ltd. The project owner was the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, News and Publication; the contractor was Anhui Landscape Construction Co., Ltd.; and the supervision was handled by Gushu Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd. The entire reconstruction project commenced in November 2009 and was completed in January 2011, spanning 14 months. The pagoda adopts the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty; it has seven stories and an octagonal shape; it is a reinforced concrete structure imitating wooden pavilion-style architecture; it features internal staircases that allow access to all seven floors, along with external corridors; the total height is 35.4 meters, offering panoramic views around the pagoda. The total investment was approximately 2.6 million yuan.