Zhiyun tower

Zhiyun tower

Zhiyun pagoda is the highest building of Guangjiao temple in Langshan, Tongzhou, which is the first of the eight famous Buddhist mountains in China. It was built during the Taiping reign of the Song Dynasty (976-984 A.D.).

Development history

The formation of Zhiyun pagoda is recorded in Lu You's notes of laoxue'an. There is a magical legend: at the end of Xuanhe, there was a giant businessman who had rebuilt the Puzhao Pagoda in ancient Sizhou city with 30000 pieces of stone. A few years later, he returned from business and sailed in the river. Suddenly, he saw a pagoda floating to the East on the upstream water. In front of him, it was the Puzhao Pagoda in Sizhou city. A monk came out of the pagoda and joined hands with the merchant Almsgiver, Huainan River, the master ordered me to send this pagoda to the East China Sea Mountain. After all, the wind is blowing hard on the river. If the pagoda flies East, it will be settled in Langshan Mountain. Since then, there has been a pagoda in Langshan Mountain.

Xumizuo is actually the base of the tower, which is rare in China.

In fact, there are few flat lands on the top of the mountain, so the eaves on the bottom of the tower are used as the hall. It has two functions. The wisdom of ancient craftsmen is really admirable. The pagoda has five levels on all sides. It is a pavilion style brick and wood structure, with carved columns in red lacquer. The waist eaves are warped and covered with golden glazed tiles.

From the second floor above the three sides of each door to the central square room, no door side in the room built a niche, the inner ring with wooden ladder.

On the top of the tower, there are covered bowls, round wheels, and round light, which form a tower brake. In 1984, when the Zhiyun pagoda was rebuilt, bronze Buddha, money, silver coins, various kinds of jade, jadeite, agate, amber, coral pendants and ornaments were found in the pagoda, as well as seven or eight pieces of silver and bronze medals recording the history of the pagoda. After the repair, they were put into the pagoda again. Zhiyun pagoda for the underground hall.

It is said in the Buddhist Scripture that the Bodhisattva of the king of Tibetans is "as calm as the earth, and his meditation is as deep as Tibetans".

The Buddha asked him to help the six living beings after the death of the Buddha and before the birth of Maitreya. He made a great wish: hell is not empty, vow not to become a Buddha, all living beings are exhausted, and Bodhi is proved.

Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui Province is his Taoist center. On both sides of the dizang Bodhisattva, there are Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Amitabha Bodhisattva with thousands of hands and eyes. In front of it, the East chamber is Yansheng hall, and the west chamber is Xiyuan hall. The Zhiyun pagoda used to have the title of master Wei Yi: the wild goose pagoda is ancient and the dragon pond is deep.

Longchi is in front of Zhiyun pagoda. In ancient times, the water on the mountain was carried by the river. Later, a lotus pond was dug, and spring water gushed out.

It is said that when Sakyamuni was born, there was Jiulong spitting water to help him bathe, so it is called Longchi.

geographical environment

Zhiyun pagoda is located at the south end of the central axis of Nantong city. The top of Zhiyun pagoda, Jiangshan gate (demolished, located in today's Changqiao) and qiaolou in the center of Nantong city form a three-point line, forming the Fengshui gateway of Nantong city. It is called: mountains and seas embrace Golden Lotus, heaven and earth fall into the sky. This is the unique Fengshui and landscape of Nantong.

Main attractions

Nantong Zhiyun pagoda is located behind the "Daxiong hall" of Langshan Guangjiao temple. It was built in the Taiping Xingguo period of the Northern Song Dynasty (976-983). It is 35 meters high and is one of the Three Pagodas in Nantong (the other two are Wenfeng pagoda and Guangxiao Pagoda in the city). Behind the tower is the famous Langshan temple.

There is a folk song in Nantong: there are three towers in Nantong, with four or sixty-eight corners. Two towers rise from the ground and one tower rises from the sky.

The three pagodas are Guangxiao Pagoda in the city, Wenfeng Pagoda in the east of the city and Zhiyun Pagoda in Langshan. Zhiyun tower is at the top of Langshan Mountain, behind yuantongbao hall and in front of Dasheng hall.

Zhiyun pagoda is 3.15 meters high. The first floor of the pagoda is the dizang hall. Xumizuo in the hall is actually the base of the pagoda, which is rare in China.

In fact, there are few flat lands on the top of the mountain, so the eaves on the bottom of the tower are used as the hall. It has two functions. The wisdom of ancient craftsmen is really admirable.

The pagoda has five levels on all sides. It is a pavilion style brick and wood structure, with carved columns in red lacquer. The waist eaves are warped and covered with golden glazed tiles.

From the second floor above the three sides of each door to the central square room, no door side in the room built a niche, the inner ring with wooden ladder.

On the top of the tower, there are covered bowls, round wheels, and round light, which form a tower brake. In 1984, when the Zhiyun pagoda was rebuilt, bronze Buddha, money, silver coins, various kinds of jade, jadeite, agate, amber, coral pendants and ornaments were found in the pagoda, as well as seven or eight pieces of silver and bronze medals recording the history of the pagoda. After the repair, they were put into the pagoda again.

Special food

Nantong is adjacent to the Yangtze River, the canal and the Yellow Sea. The aquatic industry here is developed. Fresh fish, crabs, fat shrimps live all year round. At the end of summer, the famous Yangtze River XENOCYPRIS migrates from the sea to the Yangtze River to lay eggs. No matter which restaurant or restaurant you go into, you will come back to Nantong again with excellent cooking skills and the aftertaste of three days.

Many tourists to Nantong deliberately go to restaurants to taste Nantong langshanji. You may say that there are tongziji all over the country. Why is Nantong so charming? I think only those who have tasted it know what it's like.

Don't miss the local pastries. "Baipu dried tea" is fragrant and soft, chewy and tough. It's a snack after tea, chatting with you for a long time. Pieces of golden "official ceremony tea" -- inlaid peach cake, sweet and crisp, rich in nutrition.

Tourism information

Transportation: take bus No.5, No.13 and No.22.

Address: Lingang Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province

Longitude: 120.88829040527

Latitude: 31.950424194336

Chinese PinYin : Zhi Yun Ta