Wooden tower

Lingxiao tower of Tianning Temple is located in the former Tianning Temple on the north side of Dazhong street, west of Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Shijiazhuang city. It is named for its towering height. Because the body of the tower is mostly of wood structure, it is commonly known as the wooden tower.

According to Zhengding County annals written by Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, Tianning Temple and Lingxiao tower were built in the Weitong period of Yizong of Tang Dynasty (860-874 AD). At that time, the temple was large-scale and magnificent. The archway, chongmen, Tianwang hall, front hall, back hall, Lingxiao tower and other main buildings were arranged from south to north. The evening drum and the morning bell are full of fragrance. In the early years of the Republic of China, the temples suffered many misfortunes, and the halls were destroyed one by one.

Wooden tower

Lingxiao tower of Tianning Temple is located in the former Tianning Temple on the north side of Dazhong street, west of Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Shijiazhuang city. It is named for its towering height. Because the body of the tower is mostly of wood structure, it is commonly known as the wooden tower.

Basic introduction

According to Zhengding County annals written by Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, Tianning Temple and Lingxiao tower were built in the Weitong period of Yizong of Tang Dynasty (860-874 AD). At that time, the temple was large-scale and magnificent. The archway, chongmen, Tianwang hall, front hall, back hall, Lingxiao tower and other main buildings were arranged from south to north. The evening drum and the morning bell are full of fragrance. In the early years of the Republic of China, the temples suffered many misfortunes, and the halls were destroyed one by one.

Architectural features

Lingxiao tower is a nine story Pavilion tower of brick and wood structure. It is octagonal in plane and 41 meters high. It stands on the octagonal platform. The first to fourth floors of the pagoda were rebuilt on the remains of the Tang Pagoda in the Song Dynasty. They are of brick structure, and the upper floors are rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty. The front of each floor is provided with arched openings or straight skid windows. From the fourth floor to the ninth floor, the brackets and cornices are all made of wood. Starting from the fifth layer, the height of each layer decreases layer by layer, and the outer contour shrinks layer by layer, giving people a sense of lightness and straightness.

The biggest feature of Lingxiao tower is that a wooden pillar is erected in the center of the fourth floor of the tower, which directly reaches the top of the tower, and is connected to the outside with eight radial beams and columns according to the layer. There is only one such structure in China, which is extremely valuable. The tower structure is not only different from the general wooden tower, but also different from the general brick and wood structure tower.

Historical evolution

Lingxiao tower has been damaged for thousands of years. On March 22, 1866, the iron hollow jujube shaped pagoda was destroyed by the earthquake. Since then, due to the wind and rain, the eighth and ninth floors of the tower collapsed one after another. In order to protect this ancient pagoda, which occupies an important position in the history of ancient architecture, the people's government organized forces to carry out a comprehensive survey, and on the premise of striving to maintain its original appearance, the pagoda was removed and rebuilt in 1981.

In February 1982, the underground palace was discovered under the tower base during the survey. After cleaning up, a number of valuable cultural relics were unearthed. According to the two stone inscriptions, the pagoda, formerly known as Huiguang pagoda, was built in the Tang Dynasty from about 762 to 799 A.D. it was overhauled in 1045, the fifth year of the reign of emperor Qingli of the Song Dynasty, and rebuilt in 1145, the fifth year of the reign of emperor Huangtong of the Jin Dynasty. In 1988, the tower was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Sakyamuni pagoda of Yingxian Buddhist temple is located in the northwest of Yingxian City, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, commonly known as Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. It was built in the second year of Qingning (1056 AD) and completed in the sixth year of jinmingchang (1195 AD). It is the highest and oldest existing wooden tower building in China, and the only wooden Pavilion tower. It is a key cultural relic protection unit in China.

Related information

Yingxian wooden pagoda is located in the Buddhist temple in Yingxian City, Shanxi Province. The wooden pagoda is located between the mountain gate and the main hall on the north-south axis of the temple, belonging to the layout of "front pagoda and back hall". The tower is built on a four meter high platform. The height of the tower is 67.31 meters, and the diameter of the bottom layer is 30.27 meters. The first floor has double eaves. All the above floors are single eaves. There are five floors and six eaves in total. There are dark floors between each floor, which are actually nine floors. Because of the double eaves and corridor on the ground floor, the appearance of the tower is six story eaves. Each floor is supported by two circles of wooden columns, 24 columns outside each floor and eight columns inside. Many diagonal braces, beams, braces and short columns are used between the wooden columns to form the composite beam type wooden frame in different directions. It has been calculated that the whole tower shares 3000 cubic meters of Korean pine wood, weighing about 2600 tons. The overall proportion is appropriate, the building is magnificent, the art is exquisite, and the appearance is stable and solemn.

At the bottom of the tower, a door is opened from north to south, and a flat balustrade is set around the second floor or above. Each floor is equipped with wooden stairs. Visitors can climb step by step to reach the top. There are four doors on each floor from the second floor to the fifth floor, all of which are equipped with wooden partition fans. The light is sufficient. When you go out, you can see the Hengyue mountain like a screen and the mulberry stem like a belt. You can have a panoramic view and feel relaxed and happy. Buddha statues are made in all layers of the tower. The first floor is Sakyamuni, 11 meters high. He has a dignified face and a pleasant look. There is a beautiful caisson on the top. There are six Buddha statues painted on the walls of the inner trough. There are also King Kong, heavenly king and disciples painted on the walls on both sides of the door opening. The murals are bright and vivid. On the second floor, the altar is square, with one Buddha, two Bodhisattvas and two waiters. The three-tier altar is octagonal in shape, with a square Buddha on it. There are four layers of statues of Buddha, Anu, Kaya, Manjusri and Puxian. On the fifth floor, the Buddha and Bodhisattva of pilushana are molded. Each Buddha sculpture is fine and has its own modality, which has high artistic value.

The top of the pagoda is octagonal, with an iron brake on it. It is exquisitely made and coordinated with the pagoda, making the pagoda more magnificent. Wind chimes are installed under the eaves of each floor of the tower. The breeze is blowing and tinkling, which is very pleasant.

Together with the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it is known as the three great towers in the world.

Address: north side of Dazhong street, Longxing Temple, Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province (in the former Tianning Temple)

Longitude: 114.580103

Latitude: 38.142303

Ticket information: 5 yuan per person.

Chinese PinYin : Mu Ta