Liangping Wenfeng Pagoda

　　China’s tallest brush-shaped stone pagoda, this municipal-level cultural relic site is located on the Pingyuan Dam west of Liangping County in Chongqing, about 3 kilometers from the county town. This pagoda is an octagonal, twelve-story hollow stone structure, standing tall and majestic, and is considered a gem of Qing Dynasty architecture. The pagoda is 35.68 meters high and was built in the seventh year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty. It is an octagonal, twelve-story hollow all-stone pagoda. The pagoda is exquisitely designed and made from high-quality materials — the selected bluestone is hard and durable, with each stone slab measuring 31×40 cm square and 170 cm in length (equivalent to the thickness of the pagoda body). Each layer of the pagoda walls is constructed using a crisscross pattern of stone blocks. Its foundation is solid, the calculations precise, and the construction meticulous. The towering twelve-story stone pagoda reaches skyward, standing grand and majestic. The pagoda body features 12 window openings that alternate between floors, allowing light and air to pass through. Each floor has eight upturned eaves corners, giving the pagoda a sense of soaring into the sky. At the top, the eight upturned corners are adorned with iron horse wind chimes that tinkle melodiously in the breeze. The upturned corners, when viewed from below upward, are all engraved with various patterns — the lines are smooth and refined, the carvings delicate and intricate, further highlighting the pagoda’s beauty and magnificence. The name of the pagoda, “Wenfeng Pagoda,” is inscribed in cursive script on the tenth level, bold and powerful. The words “Lingxiu” (Exquisite) and “Wenming” (Civilization), carved on either side of the door opening, further enhance the pagoda’s cultural aura. Originally, there were wooden floors and spiral staircases inside the pagoda from the first to the fifth levels, but these have long since been destroyed.

　　There is also a long-standing folk legend about the “Wenfeng Pagoda.” On the mountaintop at the junction of Liangping County’s western hills and Dazhu County, at an altitude of over 1,100 meters, stands a steep and peculiar peak that resembles a fox’s head — people call it “Fox Mouth.” Its head faces east (toward Liangping) and its tail west (toward Dazhu), and its mouth is directly aimed at the fertile plains of Liangping that produce abundant grain. It is said that the fox opens its mouth to eat Liangping’s harvest while defecating toward Dazhu — in other words, eating Liangping to fatten Dazhu, which is very unfavorable for Liangping. Therefore, the people of Liangping first built “Chuiyun Guan” (Hanging Cloud Temple) at the north gate, hoping to block the fox’s mouth. However, because the fields were too far away, it didn’t achieve the desired effect of stopping the fox. So, they then chose a site in the fertile fields and plains just outside the north gate to build this “Wenfeng Pagoda,” hoping to block the greedy fox’s mouth that was devouring Liangping’s riches. Since then, the vast fertile fields and abundant crops of Liangping’s plains have enjoyed bountiful harvests, and prosperity has flourished.

　　Across China, there are many ancient pagodas, all magnificent. But none were built without being influenced by the introduction of Buddhism. Pagodas are a product of Buddhist culture. However, Liangping Wenfeng Pagoda is an exception — its reason for being built is truly unique within the context of Chinese pagoda culture.

　　According to the Volume Five of the Liangping County Annals from the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Xu Mingxiang, the magistrate of Liangshan County during the seventh year of the Daoguang reign, wrote in his article “Record of Rebuilding the Examination Hall and Constructing the Pagoda”: “Liangshan County is the hub of eastern Sichuan and the hometown of the great Confucian scholar Li Yide, renowned for his studies of the I Ching. The scholarly atmosphere and local customs here are quite unique... Every year, around one thousand five to six hundred candidates take the exams, but the existing examination hall in the county yamen was too small to accommodate them. Moreover, due to years of neglect, during the exams, wind and rain would drench the candidates’ belongings. Therefore, local gentry and wealthy merchants were invited to discuss the matter. Everyone was encouraged to do good deeds, and over nine thousand taels of silver were donated. During the construction process, expenses were tightly controlled and savings were made. After the examination hall was completed, there were still 4,700-plus taels of silver left. So, the group discussed the revitalization of Liangping. To complement the county’s feng shui, they decided to build a stupa (i.e., a pagoda) just outside the north gate, to serve as a ‘writing brush’ within the city. The required funds matched exactly the leftover silver. Building this pagoda was not only meant to encourage future scholars to achieve academic success, ‘to bring honor to the nation through literature,’ and to ensure that there would surely be scholars of principle and Confucian sages who would rise after Master Qu Tang, bringing glory to their hometown.”

　　From this, it can be seen that the construction of Wenfeng Pagoda did not stem from Buddhism, nor was it as the folklore suggests. Instead, it represents the lofty and beautiful hopes and aspirations of the wise ancestors of Liangping for the people and future generations. They hoped that descendants would be “exquisitely talented,” longing for the younger generations to stand out in “civilization.” They hoped for the cultural standards and degree of civilization of their hometown, as well as for the emergence of talented scholars and eminent intellectuals among future generations, forming a pinnacle of culture. Truly becoming those who rise after Master Qu Tang to bring glory to their homeland. The term “Wenfeng” also embodies the peak of “civilization and culture,” just like the towering pagoda piercing the clouds, looking down upon the land and standing proudly above all.

　　Today, we don’t need to delve deeply into the motives or reasons behind the pagoda’s construction. Majestic twelve stories, enduring 200 years. The grand, spectacular, uniquely beautiful Wenfeng Pagoda has not only withstood the trials of time, erosion by wind and rain, threats of earthquakes, but has also disregarded the relentless bombings by Japanese invaders during wartime, remaining proudly upright and unmoved. For 200 years, it has adorned the landscapes of Liangping, adding a touch of beauty to the area’s picturesque scenery. It has enriched the cultural and civilizational essence of Liangping County. It stands as a testament to the beautiful wishes of the wise ancestors of Liangping. It is the crystallization of the labor and artistry of Liangping’s early inhabitants, a vessel of long-standing historical culture, a rare tangible treasure and cultural gem for the study of architectural art, stone carving art, ancient culture, and antiquities. At the same time, it also serves as physical evidence of the Liangping people’s love for life, reverence for culture, and aspiration toward civilization since ancient times. Wenfeng Pagoda, like Shuanggui Hall, is the pride of the Liangping people, and it will exist alongside the land of Liangping forever.

　　Address: West of Liangping County Town

　　Phone: 023-53222188