Pagoda of Pujue Temple

　　    The Pagoda of Pujue Temple (First Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

　　    Era: Ming Dynasty

　　    Location: Northern part of Xixiang Village, Puzhou Town, 12 km northwest of Yongji City proper

　　    Located within Pujue Temple in Yongji City. Originally built as a stupa pagoda, the stories and settings of both the Tang Dynasty vernacular tale “The Story of Yingying” and the famous “Romance of the Western Chamber” are derived from this site. Constructed during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it underwent renovations in the second year of the Xiande era of the Later Zhou Dynasty (955 AD) and during the Song and Yuan periods. In the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1564 AD), it was rebuilt under the advocacy of Zhang Jiayin, the magistrate of Puzhou. It is the only remaining structure in the temple prior to its large-scale restoration.

　　    The pagoda is situated at the western rear section of the temple. It has a square floor plan, 13 stories, and is about 50 meters tall. It is a brick pagoda in the pavilion style imitating the Tang architectural style. The eaves of each story are built with layered corbeling, featuring straight lines that do not form a distinct inward-curving reverse curve. The spacing between stories one to six is relatively large, with a gentle tapering that preserves the flavor of the Tang style. From the seventh story upward, the spacing between stories suddenly decreases, and the tapering becomes steep, creating a completely different stylistic feel from the lower section. The interior of the pagoda is hollow, and when stones are struck, the echo resonates loudly, resembling the croak of a frog.

　　    From 1986 to 1988, the buildings of Pujue Temple were restored.