Wan'an Seven Ancient Pagodas

　　Since the Tang Dynasty, numerous pagodas have been built in Wan'an County, standing in clusters and competing in splendor. To this day, over ten well-preserved pagodas remain, among which the famous seven are: the Cotton Ford Relic Pagoda from the Tang Dynasty, the Guijiang Flying Pagoda from the Song Dynasty, the Baoshan Literary Wind Pagoda from the Yuan Dynasty, the Lutian Miss Pagoda from the Ming Dynasty, the Gaopi Guanyin Pagoda from the Ming Dynasty, the Baijia Chongwen Pagoda from the Ming Dynasty, and the County Town Civilized Pagoda from the Qing Dynasty.

　　These ancient pagodas feature diverse styles and elegant designs, adding a brilliant touch to the local ancient architecture. The legendary stories surrounding these pagodas further shroud them in an air of mystery.

　　Tang Dynasty: Cotton Ford Relic Pagoda

　　The Cotton Ford Township of Wan'an County is connected to the Bizhou Township of Suichuan County by continuous mountain ranges, one of which is called Tianlong Mountain. The valley of Tianlong Mountain is deep and lofty, covered with lush forests and crisscrossed by streams and waterfalls, boasting beautiful scenery and has been a sacred Buddhist site since ancient times. During the Tang Dynasty, the Tianlong Temple was built here and was quite renowned in the Jiangnan region, but gradually declined during the wars of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Two relic pagodas are located on the ruins of the old temple on Tianlong Mountain.

　　Song Dynasty: Guijiang Flying Pagoda

　　The Flying Pagoda is situated on a flat area at the head of Baiyi Village in Guijiang Township, backed by the Wu Kong (note: to be verified) ancestral hall to the north, facing residential houses to the south, and bordering the Suichuan River to the west. The entire pagoda is constructed from blue bricks and a mixture of mud and sand, with no base, hollow inside, and without stairs. It has six leading angles and six stories, stands 15 meters tall, with an outer diameter of 9 meters, and tapers slightly as it rises. Each story has two symmetrical arched windows. Standing alongside the ancestral hall, residential houses, woods, and green mountains, it resembles a natural garden, offering a unique charm. As the ancients wrote in the Baiyi genealogy: “The ancient pagoda stands like a brush beside the flowing water, truly a grand sight in the village!” The Flying Pagoda is slender in appearance, with a beautiful design. Judging from its structure and the genealogy records, it was built during the Song Dynasty. Though the ancient pagoda has weathered over a thousand years and is now mottled and incomplete, it still retains its former aura. Some believe the pagoda has no base due to vertical subsidence over the centuries. Legend has it that the Flying Pagoda flew from Suichuan to this location during the Song Dynasty, breaking into three parts: the base remained in place, the body landed elsewhere, and the tail flew to Baiyi—hence the name “Flying Pagoda.”

　　Yuan Dynasty: Baoshan Literary Wind Pagoda

　　The Literary Wind Pagoda is located on Lotus Mountain in Shuinan Village, Baoshan Township, facing the Five-Li Pass Tea House from afar. The pagoda has six sides and five stories, stands 9 meters tall, with a base diameter of 6 meters, and is cone-shaped. From a distance, the entire pagoda resembles a bud of a lotus flower, gracefully standing atop the peak of Lotus Mountain. The pagoda is entirely built from red-surfaced stone slabs, tung oil, glutinous rice, and lime mortar, making it sturdy and intact—a rare material choice among pagodas in the Jiangnan region. Legend has it that in the late Yuan Dynasty, when the ancestors of the Wei family settled in Shuinan and built the Wei Family Ancestral Hall, they faced many misfortunes due to geographical constraints. After a feng shui master pointed out the issue, it was advised that a pagoda be erected on Lotus Mountain opposite the ancestral hall to suppress the negative energy. Lotus Mountain was overgrown with weeds and shrubs, and the stream at the foot flowed westward in a winding path. The Literary Wind Pagoda, standing atop the mountain and echoing the ancestral hall, preserves its ancient charm to this day. Local elders say the pagoda was built 24 generations ago, suggesting it was constructed in the late Yuan or early Ming Dynasty.

　　Ming Dynasty: Lutian Miss Pagoda

　　The Lutian Miss Pagoda is located near Yintang Village in Lutian Town, about 1 kilometer west of the Changgan Highway, surrounded by green mountains on the other three sides. The pagoda is a pavilion-style hollow structure with flying eaves, built from blue bricks and glutinous rice mortar. It stands 30 meters tall, has eight sides and nine stories, is solid at the base and hollow above, with an arched gate set behind the base that allows access to spiral staircases along the inner wall to view the scenic countryside. Originally, there was also a spiral path above the fifth floor leading to the top. Each layer of the pagoda’s exterior is adorned with zigzag flying eaves, giving it a dignified and elegant appearance. Legend has it that the pagoda’s finial was originally a heavy iron dome weighing hundreds of pounds, which was toppled and shattered into fragments—iron pieces from the dome are still collected by locals nearby. It is said that a smaller pagoda, slightly smaller than this one, was also built on the mountainside a few hundred meters to the north. Both pagodas were built by two sisters from a wealthy family. The existing pagoda was built by the elder sister, and the other by the younger. The younger sister’s pagoda occupied a higher position, violating the traditional hierarchy, so it was struck by lightning and destroyed, leaving only ruins, while the elder sister’s pagoda remains intact. Hence, the name “Miss Pagoda” may have originated from this story. The pagoda is magnificent in appearance and intricately structured. Despite centuries of wind and rain, it remains solid. During the period of 1958, when the reservoir was being built and materials were needed, people attempted to blast the foundation three times without success—the pagoda stood firm and undamaged.

　　Ming Dynasty: Gaopi Guanyin Pagoda

　　The Guanyin Pagoda is located in Fuzhu Village, Gaopi Town. It is a hollow, flying-eave-style blue brick pagoda with six sides and seven stories, standing 12 meters tall, with a base circumference of 7 meters. Each story features a Guanyin deity in the bracket sets. On the second floor, a yellowish earthen brick tablet is embedded in the central bracket set, most of its inscriptions eroded and illegible, though faint remnants of “Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva,” “Wuyun Fuzhu,” and “Rebuilt in the 15th Year of the Chenghua Era of the Great Ming” can still be seen—hence the name Guanyin Pagoda. Legend has it that every household in Fuzhu Village raised sheep, considered symbols of good fortune. However, these sheep had an odd habit: resting in the village during the day and venturing out to forage at night, much to the villagers’ annoyance. A feng shui master named Ouyang proposed driving the sheep to another village and told the villagers, “If you quietly build two pagodas at the village entrance at night, the sheep won’t be able to leave.” Trusting his words, the villagers built two Guanyin Pagodas at the entrance. By the time the pagodas were completed, the sheep were out grazing—and never returned. The southern pagoda at the original entrance collapsed in a storm in 1931, leaving only this one.

　　Ming Dynasty: Baijia Chongwen Pagoda

　　The Chongwen Pagoda is located on a hillside by the Gan River in Tangshang, Baijia Township. It was advocated for construction by Magistrate Yuan Shifeng during the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1465). Built beside steep cliffs above a deep pool where the river current swirls backward, the pagoda's reflection creates a fascinating interplay of light year-round. The Chongwen Pagoda is a pavilion-style, hollow, flying-eave structure made from blue bricks and glutinous rice mortar. It is tightly constructed, rock-solid, elegantly shaped, majestic, and has nine levels and eight sides, tapering inward as it rises. Standing 32 meters tall with a base diameter of 10.2 meters, each level features alternating hollow bracket windows, while inner spiral staircases lead upward. The southern side of the pagoda has an auspicious bracket window, and the ninth level is topped with a double-layered spherical gourd finial. A stone tablet is embedded in the wall below the ninth level, inscribed with: “Chongwen Pagoda, Built in the Chenghua Year of the Ming Dynasty.” Wan'an has long been known for “abundant produce and flourishing culture,” hence the name “Chongwen” (literally “Respect Literature”) was chosen. Due to its white color, the pagoda emits a silvery glow at night, resembling a luminous pearl lighting the way for passing boats—earning it the nickname “Night Pearl Pagoda.” It is now a provincial cultural heritage site.

　　Qing Dynasty: County Town Civilized Pagoda

　　The Civilized Pagoda is located on Shihua Mountain, half a li outside the southern hills of Wan'an County Town, backed by the town to the north and facing the Gan River to the west. It is a solid, flying-eave-style brick pagoda with eight sides and seven levels, tapering inward as it rises. The pagoda stands 20 meters tall, with a base circumference of 14.8 meters and a diameter of 4.85 meters, all constructed from blue bricks and glutinous rice mortar. Its surface is grayish-white, with alternating hollow bracket windows on each level. The eaves of the second and third levels are zigzag-shaped. Above the seventh level, the finial is a carved bluestone gourd. The entire pagoda is tightly structured and well-preserved. According to the *Wanxian County Annals*, it was initiated by Magistrate Pan Zunxian during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty and funded solely by Clerk Yan Xiang. Legend says Wan'an County lies in a “formation shape” (at the intersection of Longxi Stream and the Gan River), historically producing many scholars and officials. However, regardless of origin, magistrates often failed to meet local gentry expectations and were dismissed. Pan Zunxian, knowledgeable in feng shui, proposed building the pagoda to enhance the view—but in reality, to stabilize the formation, disrupt the feng shui, tame the gentry, and secure lasting official fortune.