East Pagoda and West Reflection

　　　　The East Pagoda is situated within Jingming Temple in Dongguan, outside the eastern gate of Hanzhong. It is an eleven-story square brick pagoda, built around the early Tang Dynasty. In the southeastern corner of the city lies the ancient East Lake, which is said to have been a watering place for horses when Liu Bang stationed his troops in Hanzhong, hence it is also known as the Horse Watering Pond. The distance between the East Pagoda and East Lake is about five hundred meters. “East Pagoda and West Reflection” refers to the sight of the pagoda’s shadow cast upon the surface of East Lake.

　　　　On clear, azure days or under the bright moonlit night, the reflection of the East Pagoda shimmers in the rippling waters of East Lake. The layers of the pagoda and its ornaments are vividly visible, standing out distinctly. Together with the surrounding ancient trees, weeping willows, city battlements, towers, and their reflections in the lake, the scene creates a magical and magnificent landscape.

　　　　The Nanzheng County Annals record a poem from a Qing Dynasty poet that vividly depicts this scene: “The pagoda of the temple in Hanyang casts its flying shadow into East Lake. Ripples move the Buddha niche, while shimmering waves highlight the lonely spire. The mirrored flowers truly shift and change, the water moon appears illusory and void. This timeless wonder remains, spoken of for a thousand years as the towering stupa.”

　　　　In the early Qing Dynasty, Hanzhong was sparsely populated with low-rise buildings, and the area around East Lake was particularly desolate and open. There were no tall structures between the pagoda and the lake, allowing people to witness the “East Pagoda and West Reflection.” Later, as more buildings were constructed, the pagoda’s reflection became obscured, and thus this scenic view gradually became a legendary historical relic.