Changrong Wooden Pagoda

　　   When people talk about wooden pagodas, they often think of the Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, Shanxi, or the Wooden Pagoda in Zhangye, Gansu. But actually, the Changrong Wooden Pagoda in my hometown is also a hidden gem that few know about. According to historical records, during the Changqing era of the Tang Dynasty (821–824), the revered monk Dharma Master Dexin traveled to Zhen (formerly known as Tangying), a strategically important coastal defense town in the East Sea that was granted the title “Great-Min” by Emperor Taizong of Tang and was mainly inhabited by people surnamed Li. Seeing that the area was not only rich in resources but also had a simple and honest folk culture, he developed the idea of “staying to practice Buddhism.” After receiving the approval of Emperor Muzong of Tang, Li Heng, he renovated an existing temple originally built during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (713–743). Thus, the thousand-year-old “Imperially Commissioned Wooden Pagoda Chan Temple” came into being. Despite enduring wars and natural disasters across dynasties, and experiencing several cycles of rise and decline, it was not until the Republican era that it began to take shape, becoming a rural temple covering hundreds of acres, surrounded by green trees and grand halls. The weathered stone lintel inscribed with “Imperially Commissioned Wooden Pagoda Chan Temple” stands as the best testament to its long and storied history.

　　   The six engraved regular script characters on the stone lintel, reading from right to left as “Imperially Commissioned Wooden Pagoda Chan Temple,” are bold and powerful. In the upper right corner, it vertically reads: “Initially built by Abbot Dexin during the Changqing era of Emperor Muzong,” while the lower left corner states: “Repaired in the 25th year of Emperor Guangxu by Monk Bicheng, with calligraphy by Xu Songjun of our county” (Xu Songjun was a renowned calligrapher of Xinghua in the Qing Dynasty, who once inscribed a plaque for the Mahavira Hall of Jinshan Jiangtian Chan Temple in Zhenjiang). In the temple’s spacious courtyard, a cluster of wintersweet and hibiscus flowers is planted on each side, east and west. At the southeast corner of the Mahavira Hall stands a two-story brick tower, in the center of which is placed a seven-story hexagonal wooden pagoda. This pagoda is carved from a single piece of precious hibiscus wood. The entire pagoda is delicate and exquisite, with double eaves, flying corners, and unparalleled beauty. At that time, it was the only one of its kind in the country, predating the Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, Shanxi (built in 1056, the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty) by 230 years. Even more breathtaking is the fact that when the morning sunlight shines through the tower windows onto the gourd-shaped golden finial of the wooden pagoda, it emits a dazzling array of colorful lights, which complement the treasure mirror at the center of the ridge of the Mahavira Hall, creating a rainbow of brilliant hues. Perhaps objects touched by Buddhist fate are all imbued with spiritual energy—this rainbow adds a mysterious charm to the yellow plum and hibiscus trees in the temple, leaving people amazed and in awe. For thousands of years, crowds have flocked to witness this wonder, and “Yellow Plum and Hibiscus, Wooden Pagoda Morning Glow” has made the Wooden Pagoda Temple widely renowned.

　　   In the first year of the Hongxi era of the Ming Dynasty (1425), Gao Gu, later known as the “Veteran of Five Dynasties,” came to admire this marvelous spectacle and wrote: “The five-colored morning glow illuminates the forest gate, casting a radiant reflection on the towering pagoda. It rises with the red sun over the sea, then scatters like colorful clouds across the sky. Clearly visible within the shadows of the monastic robes, it gradually fades amid the sounds of cymbals. An old monk, just awakened from his slumber, startles as his purple silk robe seems to fall past the window.” He also designated this scene once again as “Wooden Pagoda Morning Glow” and included it among the “Ten Scenic Spots of Zhaoyang.”

　　   The pagoda within the Changrong Wooden Pagoda Chan Temple courtyard is a double pagoda, with a pagoda within a pagoda, commonly referred to as the mother-and-son pagodas. The inner son pagoda is the wooden pagoda, which was meticulously hand-carved by Abbot Dexin from a massive piece of rosewood, carefully selected from a pile of premium timber, under imperial decree. It has a diameter of about two meters, a height of seven meters, and is hexagonal with seven stories. Each side of every story contains a Buddha niche housing a Buddha statue. With six sides per story and seven stories, the total comes to forty-two niches, each enshrining a uniquely expressive Buddha statue. Surrounding the inner pagoda is the outer mother pagoda, a more than ten-meter-high structure built from blue bricks. Because it shelters the wooden pagoda day and night from sun, rain, wind, and dew, it is also called the Protective Pagoda. Inside the Protective Pagoda, there is a staircase serving a dual purpose: worshippers can use it to offer incense to the Buddha statues in the niches, while visitors can climb it to peer through the pagoda windows and walk along the pagoda corridors, taking in the picturesque rural scenery.

　　   This rare pagoda was destroyed in the flames of war in 1943, reduced to ashes. The Wooden Pagoda Morning Glow also became a distant memory, gradually fading from public awareness. As time passed and seasons changed, in today’s era of national prosperity and social harmony, the increasingly affluent people of this water town were unwilling to let this magical sight be forever lost to history, a permanent regret. In 2002, they rebuilt it on the original site, restoring it to its former appearance. What now greets visitors and worshippers is a wooden pagoda with a diameter of four meters and a height of thirteen meters, and a seven-story brick pagoda surrounding and protecting the wooden pagoda, which stands twenty-three meters tall and is soon to be completed. The rare spectacle of the Wooden Pagoda Morning Glow will thus regain its former glory, once again attracting the attention of tens of thousands of worshippers and tourists.

　　   Perhaps architecture is a poem in stone. The Changrong Wooden Pagoda has once again become a scenic wonder. When people rebuild the pagoda and come to admire it again, it is no longer just for the sake of the view—it embodies a deeper understanding and love for the land. Gazing beyond the horizon where the sky meets the earth, and peering into the depths of the sea where its limits are unknown. On the land of my hometown, “Yellow Plum and Hibiscus, Wooden Pagoda Morning Glow” allows me to experience the profound cultural richness of my native place. There is no such thing as “water without a source or a tree without roots.” Tracing the imprints of history, integrating elements of modern society’s background, thoughts, and culture, and embodying a people-centered philosophy, the rebuilt Changrong Wooden Pagoda will better showcase the vibrant flowers of contemporary material civilization.