Wenfeng tower

Wenfeng tower

Wenfeng pagoda is located in the northwest corner of the ancient city of Anyang City, Henan Province, with a height of 38.65 meters and a perimeter of 40 meters. It was originally named Tianning Temple Pagoda because it was built in Tianning Temple. It is also called Wenfeng pagoda because it is located in the northeast of the old Zhangde Confucian temple and represents the local "literary style". Wenfeng pagoda was built in the second year of Guangshun in the late Zhou Dynasty, with a history of more than 1000 years

It is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Wenfeng tower has five floors and eight sides. There is a platform on the fifth level of futu, a ticket door under it, and small garden windows around each floor. The tower sits on a two meter high brick pedestal. The architecture of Wenfeng tower is full of unique style, with the characteristics of big up and small down. From the bottom to the top, one floor is larger than one floor, and gradually spacious. It is an umbrella shaped form. This kind of platform, lotus seat, Liao style tower body, and Tibetan style tower brake are rare in the world.

Evolution of construction

It was built in 952, the second year of Guangshun in Zhou Dynasty.

The song, yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties were all rebuilt.

In 1772, Huang Bangning, the magistrate of Zhangde, inscribed "Wenfeng towering and beautiful" on the lintel of the tower, so it is also called Wenfeng tower.

In 1929, it was renovated to seven floors.

In 1964, the people's Government of Anyang City made a great renovation.

In 2001, some buildings were restored.

geographical position

It is located in the northwest corner of the old city of Anyang (West of the intersection of Wenfeng South Street and dashijian street, Wenfeng District, Anyang City).

architectural composition

Wenfeng tower, 38.65 meters high, 40 meters around the base, wall thickness of 2.5 meters. The octagonal tower stands on a circular lotus seat with 7 layers of lotus petals. The lotus petals are staggered from top to bottom and stretch from left to right. The tower is supported by the upper body and protected by the lower base. There are five layers of double eaves on the tower, which increase step by step from the bottom to the top. Tasha is a Tibetan Lama tower built in Qing Dynasty. The architecture of Wenfeng tower is full of unique style, with the characteristics of big up and small down. From the bottom to the top, one floor is larger than one floor, and gradually spacious. It is an umbrella form, which is rare at home and abroad.

The structure of Wenfeng pagoda is octagonal in plane. There is a platform on the fifth level of futu, a circle door under it, and a small garden window around each floor. The base of the tower is on a brick platform up to two meters high. On the four front sides of the bottom layer of the tower, there is a garden ticket door with exquisite sculpture. On the top of the door, there is a brick carving of Erlong Xizhu. All the towers are of brick and wood structure, mainly made of brick. The lowest layer of the tower is higher and stands on the lotus seat. The eight walls of the pagoda are decorated with vertical lattice windows, garden gate and brick carvings of Buddhist paintings. The carvings are meticulous, vivid and moving.

Wenfeng tower is composed of three parts: tower base, tower body and tower brake. The tower base is 2.6 meters high and octagonal in plane. There are seven layers of spiral bun shaped lotus petals on the base, crisscrossed up and down, and ground into bricks. The tower body sits on the lotus petals. The first floor of the tower is tall, the upper four floors are low, and the diameter increases layer by layer. The water from the upper eaves is not limited to the lower eaves, forming a beautiful appearance. There are brick brackets under the eaves of each floor to support the eaves. There are staggered vents on the second to fifth floors of the tower, so that the tower will not crack because the vents are concentrated in a vertical line. Each layer of eaves are hung with a bronze bell, the breeze slowly, the sound of jingle pleasant. It gives people a sense of lofty and quiet. The tower is composed of octagonal base, xumizuo, round diamond ring, bottle body, etc., with a height of 10.8 meters. There are two symmetrical ventilation windows on the base. There are 72 stages on the inner wall of the tower, which can be rotated to reach the top of the tower.

The structure of Wenfeng pagoda is octagonal, with brick and wood structure and glazed tile roof. The eight walls of the pagoda are decorated with vertical lattice windows, round voucher doors and brick carvings of Buddhist stories. The carvings are meticulous, vivid and moving.

At the bottom is the tower base. On the tower base is a round lotus seat with seven layers of lotus petals. The lotus petals are staggered from top to bottom and stretch from left to right. The tower is supported on the top and protected on the bottom, which makes the tower more beautiful. The first floor of the tower is marvellous with exquisite brick carvings. The four facades of the tower have doors, the south is the real door, and the rest are brick false doors. The lintel is arched with the pattern of two dragons playing with pearls. The Dragon flies in the clouds and pours on the beads of fire. The brick false door is carved in the form of wooden door, and the door frame is full of lotus. Each of the eight dragon pillars is carved with two dragon pillars (the flame clouds surround the dragon and are full of dragon pillars). The body of the Dragon curls and bends, trying to fly upward, as if to fly away. Therefore, the eight iron chains on the dragon pillar not only fix the brick blocks, but also hold the dragon. Above the doors and windows are eight high relief stories of Buddha. There are many carved figures, vivid images and vivid pictures.

In the south is the three body Buddha, in the middle is the Dharma body piluzana Buddha, in the right is the body Bashana Buddha, in the left is the body Sakyamuni Buddha.

In the southwest is the statue of Sakyamuni. Sakyamuni sits in the middle. Disciples Ananda and Kaya are separated on both sides. Two Dharma protectors stand in front of the niche.

In the west is the picture of the birth of the prince, that is, the image of the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha. In the middle of the picture, the auspicious clouds are shrouded, the curtain is hanging, and the larger figure is a noble woman, followed by the maid. Outside there is a naked baby standing on the table, two strong men on the left and right protect each other, and nine dragons in the sky spit water to bathe the prince. The whole picture has many characters, different shapes, vivid shapes and complete story expression.

In the northwest is the statue of ascetic meditation on the snow mountain of shijiafo. The Buddha sits on the lotus seat in the middle of the high mountains. On the left is the monkey offering the peach, on the right is the deer offering the Ganoderma lucidum. On the mountain, the pines and cypresses are luxuriant, and there are three small bronze Buddhas at the top of the picture. It is said that Siddhartha became a monk and practiced in the snow mountain. He was determined to make all living beings free from suffering and life and death. When he came to the snow mountain, he broke his hair and practiced hard for six years. Monkeys and deer offer food to the Buddha.

To the north is the statue of Avalokitesvara and shancai dragon. Nanhai Avalokitesvara sits on the lotus seat, with the backlight surrounded by flowing clouds. The right side of the bottle is placed on the end. The good fortune boy, the Dragon Girl, and the civil and military waiters stand on the waves, separating the two sides of the Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva uses his eyes to observe and hear the call of all living beings for help, and then makes all living beings free, so it is called Guanyin. In Tang Dynasty, because of Li Shimin's taboo, the word "death" was saved. This is the situation that Bodhisattvas protect the Dharma behind the Buddha's words.

In the northeast, there are Buddha, heaven and man.

To the East is Feitian, carved with Sakyamuni Buddha Nirvana Sutra. The Buddha lies on his side in the middle of the picture, and the light of the Buddha appears on his head. A small Buddha statue stands on the top of the light of the Buddha, which symbolizes the reincarnation of the Buddha. The disciples are in great pain around them. They squat in front of a strongman, hold their cheeks in one hand, and touch their knees in the other. Outdoor lions roar. The two trees on both sides indicate that this happened between the two trees in the forest. On the right side of the tree hung a big bell, next to which a warrior struck a bell to announce nirvana. The whole picture is exquisitely made and the expression of the characters is rich.

To the southeast are the statues of king and queen of Persia serving Buddha and hearing Dharma. The Buddha sat on the lotus terrace with a high bun on the left, long clothes and wide sleeves, hands folded; one on the right wore a crown and long sleeves; the other bowed down and held the tribute in both hands.

Cultural relic value

According to the book of changes, Wenfeng tower is not only a magnificent building made of earthen bricks, but also a rare architectural style in the world. It is a reflection of Chinese traditional culture and an expression of Chinese traditional culture and art.

The interpretation of "Wenfeng tower" in the book of changes reveals the deep connotation of traditional culture from the appearance of "Wenfeng tower", which deepens the understanding of "Wenfeng tower" and Chinese traditional culture.

Cultural relics protection

Protection level

In 2001, Wenfeng tower was announced as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

protective measures

In order to transform the old city, Anyang municipal government implemented the five roads and one bridge project to beautify and brighten the pavement. One of them is Wenfeng Avenue around Wenfeng tower, which is specially designed to protect Wenfeng tower and maintain the original appearance of Anyang ancient city. In 1989, Anyang People installed steel handrails in the passage inside the tower, and the "linkage" of four limbs can still reach the top.

Address: opposite Wenfeng Park

Longitude: 120.860523

Latitude: 32.010627

Chinese PinYin : Wen Feng Ta