Feiying Pagoda

　　    Feiying Pagoda was originally located in the Relic Stone Pagoda Courtyard on the west side of Huzhou's Feiying Temple. The temple was first built in the fifth year of the Xiantong era (864) during the reign of Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty, renamed "Shangcheng Temple" in the fifth year of the Zhonghe era (885) during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang, and finally given its current name in the second year of the Jingde era (1005) during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. The inner pagoda was constructed in the fourth year of the Zhonghe era (884) during the Tang Dynasty but later collapsed and was abandoned. The existing stone pagoda was rebuilt during the Shaoxing era (1131–1162) of the Southern Song Dynasty. The outer pagoda was first built during the Kaibao era (968–976) of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the 20th year of the Shaoxing era (1150), it was struck by lightning and collapsed, then was reconstructed during the Duanping era (1234–1236) of the Southern Song Dynasty. It underwent multiple renovations during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

　　    Legend has it that Feiying Pagoda was built by Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian, for his beloved maiden Feiying. Chen Baxian was the founding emperor of the Chen Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period and was a native of Changxing, Huzhou. He came from a poor background and was an orphan in his childhood. People in Changxing were fond of martial arts, and Chen Baxian also trained in martial skills from a young age with the adults. Through diligent practice, he mastered excellent martial arts and grew tall and strong with a powerful build. At the age of 15, his cousin was abducted by a spoiled young man from a neighboring village. Chen Baxian sneaked into the young man’s house at night, killed him, and then fled under the cover of darkness.

　　    Chen Baxian crossed mountains and ridges and escaped to Huzhou. At that time, there was a millionaire surnamed Qian in Huzhou who was building a grand residence with hundreds of craftsmen and thousands of laborers. Chen Baxian worked as a handyman for the Qian family. Tall, strong, and possessing great strength, while other laborers needed two people to carry one log, he could carry two logs with one arm; where others carried 50 bricks, he could carry 200, working very diligently.

　　    Qian, who was over fifty years old, had a daughter named Feiying. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also skilled in poetry, playing the zither, sewing, and other handicrafts—she excelled in everything. She was the same age as Chen Baxian. Sometimes she would visit the construction site and once saw Chen Baxian carrying two long logs by himself and moving swiftly, which amazed her. She also found him young and handsome and immediately developed feelings of admiration. By chance, they met again, and Miss Feiying told Chen Baxian that he was exceptionally talented and should strive for greatness. She hoped he would study military strategy and achieve something in the future. Chen Baxian said he was too poor to afford schooling and could only work to make a living. Deeply sympathetic, Miss Feiying offered to teach him how to read and write. Chen Baxian bowed in gratitude. They agreed to meet every evening in the back garden to study. Feiying’s grandfather had been a military officer who rose to the rank of commander-in-chief, and the family had some military texts, which Feiying secretly brought for Chen Baxian to study. Chen Baxian studied with great hunger and dedication, continuing uninterrupted for three years. During this time, the two confided their love for each other and privately pledged their lives to one another.

　　    Miss Feiying grew into an 18-year-old young woman, and the millionaire Qian began looking for a son-in-law to marry into the family. Miss Feiying told her father about her betrothal to Chen Baxian. A millionaire taking the daughter’s handworker as a son-in-law—how could Qian face the world? To sever his daughter’s relationship, he secretly reported Chen Baxian to the county magistrate for theft. The magistrate, having taken a bribe, threw Chen Baxian into prison. Filled with rage, Chen Baxian escaped from jail, broke into the Qian residence at midnight, and captured Qian. Miss Feiying’s nanny came to plead for mercy, saying that although her father had many faults, he was still her father and begged that his life be spared. She also hoped Chen Baxian would quickly leave, as he had already achieved much in his studies and should hurry to join the army. If he achieved greatness in the future, he could come back to marry her, and she would wait for him for the rest of her life. Chen Baxian agreed to Feiying’s plea, bowed, and said: “I, Chen Baxian, will never betray your expectations. When I achieve greatness, I will return to marry you.”

　　    Chen Baxian joined the army, fought bravely, and achieved great merit repeatedly, eventually being appointed as a Grand General and ultimately ascending the throne. He immediately sent an imperial envoy to Huzhou to welcome Miss Feiying as his bride. However, the envoy returned to the capital to report that Miss Feiying had already passed away. It turned out that as soon as Chen Baxian left Huzhou, Qian repeatedly pressured Feiying to remarry. She declared she would marry no one but Chen Baxian, leading to a rift between father and daughter. Yet, Chen Baxian had been gone for many years with no news, and Miss Feiying grew ill from longing, confined to bed for years. She passed away calling out, “Chen Lang, Chen Lang...”

　　    Dressed in white mourning clothes, Chen Baxian personally traveled to Huzhou to mourn Miss Feiying for three days. In gratitude for her kindness, he specially built a pagoda to commemorate her for generations. To distinguish it from a regular Buddhist pagoda, he built both an inner and outer tower, naming it “Feiying.”