Dongta Park

　　   Dongta Park is situated on Dongta Ridge. The entire park is designed around the central pagoda and spreads outwards, occupying 6.99 hectares. The park commands the eastern entrance of the urban area, adjacent to People’s Square. Over a hundred stone steps lead directly to the southern gate of the park, while a concrete road winds up from the entrance of Dongtian Theatre on Wuyi North Road, circling around to the western gate. The park is lush with trees, boasting a green coverage rate of 93.7%. Major attractions include the Dongta Pagoda, Genyin Villa, the southern gate, Dongta Zen Temple, Wangjiang Pavilion, as well as a children’s playground and the “Unique Cave Heaven” architectural feature that connects to an underground world.

　　   The Dongta Pagoda was originally built in the first year of the Jianyan era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127) but was later destroyed. In the 14th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1834), a local resident named Xie Chengshi rebuilt it on the original site. Construction was halted at the fourth level due to warfare. In the first year of the Tongzhi reign (1862), his son Xie Yong’e completed the pagoda over the next three years. About 20 meters east of the pagoda lies a Zen temple, commonly known as Dongta Nunnery, which was built around the same time as the pagoda and is managed by nuns. It houses statues of the Buddha, Guanyin, and others, and is a well-known Buddhist site in the city.