Liaoyang White Tower

Liaoyang White Tower

Liaoyang white pagoda is located in Baita Park, Zhanqian street, Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province. Because the vertical wall between the eaves and the eight sides of the tower waist are coated with chalk, it is called the white tower.

Built in Liao Dynasty

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Liaoyang white pagoda is an octagonal and thirteen storey brick Pagoda with dense eaves. It is composed of four parts: the base, the body, the eaves and the item. The height is 70.4 meters. The eaves of the pagoda are retracted layer by layer, with wind bells hanging at the eaves and bronze mirrors placed between the eaves. The top of the pagoda is covered with lotus, and finally decorated with flame, phase wheel and jewel. From the point of view of style, the architecture of Liaoyang white tower is the style of Liao Dynasty, and the wheat leaf pattern of ditch brick dripping water is also the feature of Liao Dynasty. Liaoyang white pagoda is a work of integration of Han nationality and Buddhist culture. The whole architectural form and local sculpture have high historical, artistic and scientific value.

On January 13, 1988, Liaoyang white pagoda was announced as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

Historical evolution

Liaoyang white pagoda was built in Liao Dynasty

After repair, it still maintains the style of the early construction period.

In 1313, Liaoyang white pagoda was rebuilt.

In 1423, the White Pagoda of Liaoyang was rebuilt.

In 1900, Guangyou temple was burned and most of the buildings were destroyed. Only the White Pagoda of Liaoyang was left.

In 1975, there was an earthquake in Haicheng County, Liaoning Province. The intensity of Liaoyang City was 7 degrees. The large Liaoyang white tower withstood the test.

In 1963, 1972 and 1982, the cultural relics department carried out three times of maintenance on the base of Liaoyang white pagoda.

In 1990, during the maintenance of Liaoyang White Pagoda, four bronze medals were found under the pagoda from Yongle to Wanli years of Ming Dynasty.

In 2002, Guangyou temple was rebuilt.

Architectural features

structure

Liaoyang white pagoda is an octagonal and thirteen storey brick Pagoda with dense eaves. It is composed of four parts: the base, the body, the eaves and the item. The height is 70.4 meters. The eaves of the pagoda are retracted layer by layer, with wind bells hanging at the eaves and bronze mirrors placed between the eaves. The top of the pagoda is covered with lotus, and finally decorated with flame, phase wheel and jewel.

The base of Liaoyang white pagoda is composed of platform base and xumizuo. The platform base is octagonal stone high earth platform with a total height of 6.2 meters. Outside, it is built into octagonal two-layer platform base with stone strips. The slope of earth platform is covered with stone plate for slope protection. The first platform base is rough stone wall without ground plastering; the second platform base is green stone wall with ground plastering and large slope. On the outside of the two-tier platform, there are three pavilions of a bucket arch, with lotus petals on the top, a man of music, a pattern of a fence and a waist of Xumi. There is xumizuo in the upper part of the platform foundation, 8.78 meters high, and the lower part is a brick wall folded up. The walls are divided into three parts: a running lion and a small Buddhist niche, a waist girdle, three brick arches, and two brick lotus petals. The upper part is a very low bunched xumizuo with a total height of 1.52 meters. Above the waist of the two layers is a common board Fang, on which there is a single eaves supported by a bucket arch. On the eaves there are tile ridges, tiles, tube tiles and board tiles.

The first floor of Liaoyang white tower is built on the base of the tower, with a height of 12.7 meters. It stands on two layers of large inverted lotus petals, with octagonal plane, columns at the corners, and five brick sculptures for Dou Gong, supporting the eaves. A horizontal grid is built in the middle of each wall, which is divided into tower body and upper and lower frames. The brick carving lines on the body of the white tower are vivid, fluent and solemn. On the arched eye wall of the South Dougong, wooden plaques are inlaid in four directions, with four characters of "Liu", "Guang", "Bi" and "Han", which were added during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620).

On the first floor of Liaoyang White Pagoda, the eaves of the pagoda are made of square wooden ridges, the rafters are laid with tile ridges, and the front end of the overhanging eaves has rolling brakes. The angle beam is made of wood, and the front end is also made of pottery. Under the eaves is tile hook head, with big blue brick as the bottom tile and simple tile on top. The octagons of the eaves are slightly tilted out, and the flying oak is far extended. Under the rafters of the eaves corner of each tower, there is a copper cast iron wind duo, namely wind bell.

Liaoyang white tower eaves 13, 21.9 meters high, from bottom to top layer by layer adduction: the first layer of eaves under the Dougong. The same as the Dougong of the tower base, the flying rafters of the corner eaves hang Fengduo, and the oak eaves are arranged under the first layer of eaves, each oak hangs Fengduo, and the upper layer is paved with tile ridges. The construction of the upper roof is the same as that of the first eaves. From the second floor above, the eaves are made of seven layers of big green bricks, which are slightly larger than the double towers in Beizhen, with vertical walls between each two eaves. The 13th eaves is the top of the tower, 3.62 meters high. The eaves on the top of the tower rise from the ridge, the cornice is high and protruding, and the end of the ridge is built with a berm beast and a set of beasts. In order to reinforce the brake rod, eight iron chains are straightened from the bottom of the brake rod, the top of the flame ring and the octagonal ridge cornice. Eight gilt bottles (commonly known as copper gourd) are embedded in the chain head, which are made of two semicircles.

The top slope of Liaoyang white pagoda is the top brake. The tower brake is composed of brake seat, brake body and brake top. The brake base (also known as the small tower) is composed of base and Yanglian. Under the bronze mirror, there is a Southwest brake door, on which there are two layers of brick octagonal grey lotus and brick bowl (vase). The total height of the brake seat is 6.44 meters, and there are drainage holes between the lotus petals and petals. The brake body has round light (flame ring, phase wheel, jewel, string on the square iron brake rod). The square iron brake rod stands on the brake seat, 9.24 meters high, acts as a lightning rod, and wears five copper pearls.

characteristic

From the point of view of style, the architecture of Liaoyang white tower is the style of Liao Dynasty, and the wheat leaf pattern of ditch brick dripping water is also the feature of Liao Dynasty.

Because the vertical wall between the eaves and the eight sides of the tower waist are coated with chalk, it is called the white tower. Liaoyang white pagoda is magnificent, dignified and well proportioned. The balustrade, leaning column and bucket arch are all made of brick carvings and imitated wood structures, which are fine and accurate. The relief and Buddha statues of the tower are vivid, smooth and beautiful.

Cultural relics

In the middle of each side of Xumi seat at the lower level of Liaoyang white pagoda is a semicircle ticket door with a small crouching lion inside; on both sides of the ticket door are nine square carved brick boards with "double lions playing ball" on each side. Each side of the upper xumizuo is inlaid with five groups of moulded statues of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. In the middle of each group is a large brick of moulded niche. There is a sitting Buddha in the niche, and there is a standing brick of moulded Bodhisattvas on each side. The corner of the eight sides is the Standing Statue of the molded Rex.

On the first floor of Liaoyang White Pagoda, the wall of each side of the pagoda has a high frame at the lower part and a niche with eyebrows arched in the middle. The niche is covered with a curtain like cover and four pendulous wreaths. It is decorated with double dragons playing with pearls, flying Apsaras, Fanlian and Shuangfeng. There is a Buddha sitting in the niche. The brick Buddha sitting in the niche is later made up. The height of the Buddha sitting in the niche is 2.55 meters, of which the head is 0.5 meters, the body is 1.15 meters and the lotus seat is 0.9 meters. The eight disciples of Sakyamuni are seated on eight sides. They sit on the high waist Xumi seat, with the red flame pattern on their back, and they look solemn and quiet. There are two brick carvings on the left and right outside the niche. The brick carvings are 3.25 meters high and 0.97 meters wide. They step on the lotus, hold the bowl in both hands, or hold the lotus together. The upper part of the horizontal grid is short and short, with a large ribbon in the middle and two flying Apsaras in the upper corner. Bodhisattva, Feitian and Baogai are prefabricated and embedded in the tower. On the vertical wall of the tower, there are 96 bronze mirrors on each side

The back of the bronze mirror is decorated with various birds, animals and figures.

The top of the tower is a brick covered bowl and Yanglian, 6.8 meters high, with 8 iron chains on it, each 14.15 meters long, which are respectively connected to the 8-corner hanging ridge vase. The vertical brake rod on the tower brake is 9.9 meters high and 0.9 meters in diameter, with 5 beads in the middle, 1 flame ring and 1 neck wheel. The pearl is made of gold-plated copper, 2.94 meters in circumference and 0.8 meters in height. Under the bead is a ring of flame with a circumference of 2.3 meters and a phase wheel between 2 and 3 beads. The brake rod cap is a small copper tower

History and culture

Guangyou Temple

Guangyou Temple site is located in Baita park. According to historical records, the temple was built in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Guangyou temple was a place for boxer activities in 1900. In the same year, tsarist Russia suppressed the boxers and burned Guangyou temple. In 2002, Guangyou temple was rebuilt in Liaoyang City.

The new building complex in Guangyou temple area covers an area of 60000 square meters and a construction area of 20000 square meters. The overall scenic area of Guangyou temple is set off by the White Pagoda of Liaoyang, with the theme of temple buildings including Mountain Gate, bell and Drum Tower, Tianwang hall, east-west hall, Daxiong hall, Sanbao hall, etc., forming a tourism scenic area with historical culture as the foundation, religious culture, garden art and tourism economy as the connotation.

Research value

Liaoyang white pagoda is a work of integration of Han nationality and Buddhist culture. The whole architectural form and local sculpture have high historical, artistic and scientific value.

Cultural relics protection

On September 30, 1963, Liaoyang white pagoda was declared as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit by the former Liaoning Provincial People's Committee.

On January 13, 1988, Liaoyang white pagoda was announced as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

Tourism information

geographical position

Liaoyang white tower is located in Baita Park, Zhanqian street, Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province.

details

Opening Hours

5:00—23:00

Ticket Price

nothing

Traffic information

After leaving Liaoyang railway station, walk about 400 meters to the East.

City Bus: take bus No.1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17 to the station.

Address: Section 1, Zhonghua street, Zhonghua street, Baita District, Liaoyang City

Chinese PinYin : Liao Yang Bai Ta