Xinglong tower

Xinglong pagoda is one of the 53 relic pagodas built in the second batch of Sui Dynasty. It was rebuilt in Song Dynasty, but the base of the pagoda is still Sui Dynasty. Xinglong pagoda is named after Xinglong temple. The temple has been destroyed for a long time, but the pagoda still exists today. At present, the Xinglong tower was built in 1063, the eighth year of Jiayou reign in the Northern Song Dynasty. It is nearly a thousand years ago. This ancient pagoda is of brick and wood structure with strange shape. It has 13 floors and 54 meters in height. It is an octagonal pavilion type hollow brick Pagoda with brick overlapping eaves and simple brackets. The specification of the lower 7 floors is similar to that of the same kind of brick tower, with steps on each floor, corridors between the floors, forming a 2-meter-wide balcony, and stone railings around the platform. The upper six floors have shrunk sharply, forming a "tower on tower", which is rare in China.

The main cultural relics unearthed at the bottom of the pagoda include gold and silver coffins, gold bottles, glass bottles, Buddha's teeth, relics and metal coins. The silver coffin is gilded, 47 cm long, 20 cm wide and 25 cm high, surrounded by a fence. On the left and right sides of the silver coffin are scenes of Sakyamuni nirvana, surrounded by scenes of disciples protecting Dharma, with different expressions. The rest of the coffin are Buddhas, disciples and Bodhisattvas. Although the themes on the left and right sides are the same, they are totally different in the aspects of character modeling, clothing and manner. The gold vase is a container for relic. It is 13 cm high and is shaped like a melon. On the top of the lid sits a statue of a disciple. It contains 48 relic.

Xinglong tower

Xinglong pagoda, formerly known as Xinglong Temple Pagoda, is located in Yanzhou Museum, northeast corner of Yanzhou District, Jining City, Shandong Province. It is named after Xinglong temple, an ancient temple in the area. It is an octagonal pavilion type brick pagoda. The tower is 54 meters high and has 13 levels. The whole tower is simple without redundant ornaments, and only the short eaves are formed from each layer. Its shape is quite special. The lower seven layers are thick and thick, and the upper seven layers are suddenly reduced. For example, another small tower is placed on the top of the terminal tower.

Xinglong pagoda was built in the second year of Renshou (602) of Sui Dynasty. It was originally a wooden pagoda. It was rebuilt into a brick Pagoda in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since then, it has been repaired in all dynasties. The existing pagoda was rebuilt in the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty. It was announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province in 1977 and a national key cultural relic protection unit in May 2013.

Evolution of construction

In the second year of Renshou (602) of Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty issued the "imperial edict of Sui state relic pagoda". The Buddhist relic built by Yanzhou monks was escorted from Luoyang, the capital of Sui Dynasty, to Pule Temple of Yanzhou. The pagoda built by Pule Temple of Yanzhou was originally a 13 storey wooden pagoda.

Pule temple was originally called Ni temple. It was renamed Zhongxing temple in February of the first year of emperor Zhongzong (705) and Longxing Temple in the third year of emperor Shenlong (707). In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Longxing Temple was full of incense, and its temples and pagodas were luxuriously repaired and decorated.

In 982, the name of Longxing Temple was changed to Xinglong temple. In 1063, the pagoda of Xinglong temple was rebuilt into a brick pagoda of Song Dynasty.

On June 17 (July 25, 1668), the pagoda of Xinglong temple was completely destroyed in the Juxian Tancheng earthquake. According to Ziyang County annals published in 1672, the pagoda of Xinglong temple was destroyed. It was rebuilt from 1692 to 1720.

In 1948, the battle of Yanzhou broke out and Xinglong tower was attacked by shells. Fortunately, it did not cause much damage.

In 1985, the Shandong provincial government allocated funds to renovate the Xinglong tower according to the principle of keeping the old as before. In 1986, it was open to tourists during the Spring Festival.

In 2009, Yanzhou municipal government allocated funds to repair Xinglong tower.

building structure

Xinglong tower is an octagonal 13 storey hollow brick tower with a base perimeter of 48 meters and a height of 54 meters. The second floor is equipped with a flat seat, and the second, fourth, sixth and seventh floors are decorated with blind windows. The whole body is divided into two sections, which are superimposed up and down, in the form of mother and son. The lower seven floors are thick and deep, with stepped brick ladder steps inside, and corridors between the floors, so that visitors can climb up the stairs; a 2-meter-wide balcony is formed between the two sections, with stone railings around. You can have a panoramic view from the railings. On the sixth floor, it shrinks small and straight into the clouds; on the sixth floor, it is hollow, with a wooden ladder to the top of the tower (which has been removed); on the top of the tower, it is made of glazed tiles. There are six inscriptions in the tower.

From afar, Xinglong tower is like a small tower on top of a big one, forming a unique style of "tower on tower". This very rare form of tower system has attracted the attention and doubts of the famous ancient architect Mr. Liang Sicheng. In July 1936, he and his wife, Ms. Lin Huiyin, made a special trip to Yanzhou to inspect the Xinglong pagoda, and wrote in the history of Chinese Architecture: "Xinglong Pagoda in Ziyang County, Shandong Province, has a rather peculiar shape. The tower is octagonal in plane and 13 levels high. The whole tower is simple and has no unnecessary decorations, but the short eaves of each layer are just overlapped. The body of the tower decreases gradually, but the top six floors are suddenly reduced. If another small tower is placed on the unfinished tower, it will be built to the seventh floor, and the construction cost is exhausted. Therefore, the top six floors will be reduced? The tower was built in the eighth year of Jiayou of Song Dynasty.

Cultural relics

In August 2008, the underground palace of Xinglong tower was stolen and the stolen cultural relics were seized by the customs. After the underground palace of Xinglong pagoda was stolen, the cultural relics department repaired and reinforced the underground palace of Xinglong pagoda. A number of precious cultural relics, including a stone letter, were unearthed from the archaeological excavation. In the stone letter, gilded gold and silver coffins, gold bottles, relic, "Buddha's teeth" and glass bottles were found. Besides the sarcophagus, there is a tablet of "burial relic", which introduces the construction time, reasons and process of Xinglong tower and underground palace. More importantly, it describes the origin and support process of parietal relic. After identification, Shihan, gilt coffin and relic bottle are first-class national cultural relics, while relic inscription and glass bottle are third-class national cultural relics. According to experts in the cultural relics and Archaeology circles of Shandong Province, this major discovery is very rare in China, which is of great value to the study of history and culture, Buddhist history, painting art and production technology.

Cultural relics protection

In 1977, the Revolutionary Committee of Shandong Province listed Yanzhou Xinglong tower as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shandong Province.

In March 1981, the information of Xinglong tower was included in the dictionary of Chinese famous places.

In May 2013, it was announced as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

In 2015, Yanzhou municipal government built Yanzhou Xinglong Cultural Park.

Cultural value

In the old days, there was a temple fair on the 16th of the first month of every year. Literati, poets, merchants gathered, many towers, poems and essays. In his poem Deng Xinglong tower, Zhu dangmian, a Zongfan of the Ming Dynasty, said: "I stand tall and face the struggle, and I stand tall and upright in the sky. When the bell rings ten li, the crane traces a thousand years. Relic of the former dynasty, heart lamp midnight. I'll climb to the top and raise my hand. " There is also the saying of predecessors that "high into the white clouds, the shadow falls down the Lingguang; the green color alone condenses the Zhushui, the wind is far away from Daifeng", and that "the towering tower and the white clouds are the same, the shadow falls down the Lingguang ancient hall" (zhonghongdao). It is said that the sun rises at the beginning of the summer solstice, and the Kuixing tower in Ziyang mountain, 30 miles west of the city, is full of shadow. The glow of the sun becomes one of the Eight Sights in Yanzhou.

Tourism development

Scenic spot: Yanzhou Xinglong Cultural Park (daxinglong Temple scenic spot)

Ticket price: 80 yuan

Address: Xinglong Cultural Park, Wenhua East Road, Yanzhou District, Jining City, Shandong Province

Transportation Guide: 300 meters northbound at the exit of Yanzhou railway station and bus station

Address: Yanzhou Museum, 53 Wenhua East Road, Yanzhou District, Jining City, Shandong Province, China

Longitude: 116.835059

Latitude: 35.560356

Chinese PinYin : Xing Long Ta