The oldest existing ancient building in Hohhot is the Wanbu Huayan Jing Pagoda

The Wanbu Huayan Jing Pagoda, commonly known as the "White Pagoda", was built during the reign of Emperor Shengzong of the Liao Dynasty (983-1031 AD) and was rebuilt in the second year of the Jin Dynasty (1162 AD). It is the only intact surface building left in the old city of Fengzhou, a second batch of national key cultural relics protection units, known for its reputation as "White Pagoda Soaring Light", one of the eight scenic spots in Hohhot, and Hohhot Baita Airport and Baita Railway Station are named after it. The pagoda is 55.5 meters high, with a base circumference of 56 meters, eight corners and seven levels, and a mixed structure of brick and wood, in the style of a pavilion. The details of the pagoda are quite exquisite! On the south side of the first floor is the pagoda door, with the seal script stone inscription "Wanbu Huayan Jing Pagoda" square, embedded in the lintel of the pagoda door, the four sides of the east, south, west, and north are the statues of the strong men, the strong men hold the vajra pestle, the muscles are prominently displayed, and the entire statue is powerful and robust. The second floor is the statue of Bodhisattva and Heavenly King, the Heavenly King is wearing armor, holding different magic weapons such as halberds and spears. From the third floor upwards, the outer walls of the pagoda body have square leaning columns on both sides of each stone door and window, and there are corner columns at each corner of the pagoda body, which support the universal arch and bracket set. Inside the pagoda, there is a spiral staircase walkway, as well as multiple layers of interlocking wooden beams. Inside each floor, there are a large number of inscriptions left by tourists from all ages, it is said that the content is varied, including Chinese, Khitan, Jurchen, Phags-pa, Mongolian, Tibetan, etc., as well as foreign languages such as ancient Syrian and ancient Persian, all of which are valuable historical materials of writing! In addition, it should be specially mentioned that in 1982, when the Wanbu Huayan Jing Pagoda became a national treasure, a ten-text "Zhongtong Yuanbao Exchange Note" was found during the maintenance, which is the earliest existing official printed and issued paper money in China (no physical objects of Song Dynasty paper money have been found in historical records). The engraving and printing time was the era of Kublai Khan in the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (1260 AD). Nowadays, the old city of Fengzhou Museum has been built here, which is open for free. The museum has collected many unearthed architectural structures and stone inscriptions, all reflecting the prosperity of Fengzhou at that time... This place is quite niche and there are few tourists, you can take your time to visit and taste carefully, the most regrettable thing is that the tower access has been closed, and it is impossible to enter the tower for a visit. Tour suggestions: Coming out of Hohhot Airport, you can visit the three national key cultural relics protection units in the order of Baita Railway Station, Wanbu Huayan Jing Pagoda, and the ruins of the old city of Fengzhou. The distance between these three points is a few kilometers, and it is very convenient if you have a car.