Yansi Wenfeng Pagoda

　　Introduction     Commonly known as Shuikou Pagoda, it was built in the 23rd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1544). Standing 67 meters tall with six sides and seven stories, it features a spiral staircase that allows visitors to climb up and enjoy distant views of the misty Huangshan Mountains, as well as a close panorama of the ancient town. This pagoda was initiated by local resident Zheng Zuo (Shuangxi), a successful candidate in the imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty who rose to the position of Right Assistant Censor-in-chief of Guizhou. He devoted considerable effort to building this pagoda, spending 15 years from design to completion and investing over 40,000 taels of silver. The names of donors for each level were all inscribed and recorded on established steles. For just the central pagoda pillar, he searched through mountains across the county and eventually found the timber on Dasheng Mountain at Yuting in Yi County. This massive timber, 13 zhang tall (approximately 43 meters), took three full years to fell and transport the hundred or so li to Yansi. To cast the gourd-shaped finial at the top of the pagoda, he referenced designs from the Bao'en Pagoda in Nanjing, the Great Chan Temple Pagoda in Shaoxing, and the Sizhou Pagoda, among others. In the past, especially during the Qing Dynasty, it was customary for people from surrounding villages to visit the pagoda around the second day of the second lunar month. During the day, visitors crowded the site, and at night, pagoda lanterns were lit, hanging in a string from the top floor, creating a colorful spectacle. During these pagoda-visiting festivals, the area around the pagoda would become as lively as Beijing’s Tianqiao, with performances such as drum storytelling, acrobatics, magic shows, medicine sellers, street stalls, and even gambling booths. Elders in their seventies and eighties today still vividly recall the scenes of pagoda festivals from their childhood.

　　 Anhui, Huangshan City