Yingxian Wooden Tower

The Wooden Pagoda of Ying County, located in the Fogong Temple of Ying County in Shuozhou City, is officially known as the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple. Constructed in the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty (1056), it is the tallest, oldest, and best-preserved wooden pagoda structure in China. The awe inspired by the Wooden Pagoda of Ying County can only be truly felt by visiting in person. (It is among the first batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units, Admission: 50 RMB)

The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, officially known as the Fogong Temple Sakya Pagoda, was built in the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty (1056), and it has been 968 years since then. At that time, the Song and Liao dynasties stood side by side, with constant warfare. Yingxian was under the control of the Liao state, then known as Yingzhou, only twenty kilometers from the border of the two countries. The construction of such a large-scale project in this land of soldiers and warfare is a testament to its close connection with the power of the empire. The Fogong Temple Sakya Pagoda stands at 67.31 meters tall, equivalent to a modern 22-story building, with a base diameter of 30.27 meters. The main material used is North China larch, and the brackets are made of elm wood. The entire structure consists of three parts: the base, the body, and the steeple. The most outstanding feature of the Yingxian Fogong Temple Sakya Pagoda is its octagonal planar shape, with a five-story, six-eave waist-wrapped flat base and a pointed rooftop. The pagoda body adopts a double-wall base and a double-tube body structure. This pagoda is the oldest and largest all-wood structure pagoda existing in China and abroad, and it is known as one of the 'Three Wonders of the World' along with Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This unparalleled marvel stands on the earth, having witnessed literati in wide robes and large sleeves; spirited officials; and even emperors who looked down upon the world. Of course, it has also seen guns and wars, and modern people of today. In thirty-two years, the wooden pagoda will welcome its own millennium. I hope... its legend, never ends.

Datong Station, the green-skin train at 8:23 in the morning, arrives at Ying County at 9:17. People are shouting outside the station, offering a ride to the Wooden Pagoda for five yuan per person. This car passes by the Ying County Wooden Pagoda. Ask the driver for his phone number on the bus. Write down the phone number; this is not the driver's number for Hunyuan, but to inquire about what time there is a car passing by the Wooden Pagoda to Hunyuan Bus Station. Cross the road after getting off, and there is a commercial street where you can see the Wooden Pagoda. The entrance ticket is 50 yuan, and you can visit the first floor of the Wooden Pagoda. I didn't hire a guide at the Wooden Pagoda; I watched videos online by myself. I don't know how much it costs to hire a guide. Exit the east gate of the Wooden Pagoda and walk straight for 500 meters to reach Jingtusi (Pure Land Temple), where the entrance fee is 15 yuan. The caisson ceiling of Jingtusi is very famous. After visiting Jingtusi, return the same way. The staff will check the Wooden Pagoda ticket, and you can re-enter the Wooden Pagoda scenic area. I made a phone call, and there was a car passing by the Wooden Pagoda at 12:40. After having lunch on the commercial street at 12:30, I walked out and returned to the place where I got off earlier. The car left on time at 12:40. It took a little over an hour on the road. When arriving at Hunyuan Bus Station, those who wanted to go to the Hanging Temple had to pay another five yuan. I got off and took a taxi to Yong'an Zen Temple, which cost ten yuan. The entrance fee for Yong'an Zen Temple is 20 yuan, and the guide fee is 200 yuan per session, which can be split with others on the spot. It's not necessary to spend 200 yuan by myself. The main hall is very dark, and it's written that strong light for photography is not allowed. I used my mobile phone to take pictures. Recently, Yong'an Zen Temple has become famous because of a particular painting. At Yong'an Zen Temple, I met someone who had come from the Wooden Pagoda with me. She had visited the Hanging Temple before coming to Yong'an Zen Temple and said there was no queue at the Hanging Temple. To the right of the exit of Yong'an Zen Temple is Yuanjue Temple, where an old lady collects money for incense. I gave five yuan. Cash only. If you don't want to give money for incense, just take a glance and walk away. There's just one pagoda. Walking to the road, opposite is the 'Xiaoxifu Liangfen' (Young Wife's Cold Noodles). Nearby is also the Hunyuan Confucian Temple. The last public bus from Hunyuan Bus Station back to Datong is at six o'clock. I took a taxi to Hunyuan Bus Station, which cost eight yuan. Halfway, the driver saw the public bus going back to Datong, which was number 90 something; I wasn't sure. So I got on the bus, and the fare back to Datong was 15 yuan. It took about an hour and a half to reach Datong, and I got off at a bus stop close to my hotel. This was on April 15th.

🚗This is the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Shanxi 🔥It is considered one of the 'World's Three Great Wonders' along with Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower in Paris 🌲The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda was built during the Liao Dynasty (in 1056 AD), and it has been quietly waiting for your visit for 968 years. ❗️'From afar it looks like a pillar holding up the sky, up close it resembles a hundred-foot lotus.' This is the highest level of description of grandeur and beauty by the ancients, because the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is 67.31 meters tall, equivalent to the height of a 20-story building. This was considered a very tall structure in ancient times. 🌟The 'hundred-foot lotus' refers to the dougong (interlocking wooden brackets), of which the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda uses a total of 480 pieces, in 54 different styles, reaching the pinnacle of architectural achievement. The lower you go, the more complex the dougong becomes. It truly amazes us with the wisdom of our ancestors. 📍Navigation: Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. 🧷If you are bringing elderly or children, you can navigate to the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda ticket office. Let the elderly and children get off the car first, then go to park nearby. 🎫Ticket price: 50 RMB per person ⌛️Visiting time: about 1-2 hours 🚶Currently, only the first floor of the wooden pagoda is open to the public, which houses an 11-meter-tall statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. 👀Visitors can appreciate the plaques, of which 54 are still in existence. And also the astonishing dougong. 📷About my favorite photo spots: 1️⃣In the west square of the pagoda, stand a bit further from the pagoda to capture a person looking at it, a dialogue that spans a thousand years. 2️⃣Walk around the pagoda to the 'Little Western Heaven', use the wide-angle mode of your phone, squat down and shoot through the doorway of 'Little Western Heaven' to capture the pagoda, the perspective effect is very cinematic. 3️⃣To capture the plaques and dougong, you need to use a telephoto lens to get the effect. 📣Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is about 1 hour away from Datong city center. You can visit them together. 🌟Nearby attractions include Jingtusi Temple, Hanging Temple, Yungang Grottoes, and more.

Here, there is no new paint or tiles, but a freedom to exist naturally. The Hanging Temple stands for 1500 years on the precipitous cliffs of Mount Heng in northern China, a testament to both mechanical and aesthetic mastery that astonishes. I was also rendered speechless by the beauty of a wooden pagoda, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, built entirely with mortise and tenon joints without a single nail. It has withstood wind, frost, snow, rain, wars, and cannon fire, yet it remains steadfast for a millennium, simple and understated, its mission to forever guard Jincheng.

The desire to visit Datong started with watching a documentary about the Ying County Wooden Pagoda. Since then, it has been on my mind day and night. Actually, the Ying County Wooden Pagoda is part of Shuozhou City, but most travelers include it in their Datong travel plans. The Ying County Wooden Pagoda is also known as the Buddha Palace Temple Shakyamuni Pagoda. It was built in the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty (1056), and it is the tallest and oldest existing pure wooden structure pavilion-style building in the world. It is known as one of the 'Three Wonders of the World' along with Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, located within the Fogong Temple in Yingxian, Shuozhou. It was built over a period of 22 years from the fourth year of the Xingxi era (1035) to the second year of the Qingning era (1056) during the Liao Dynasty, and Emperor Daozong of Liao bestowed the name 'Sakyamuni Pagoda'. The wooden pagoda is the tallest and oldest existing all-wooden pagoda-style building in the world, and it is known as one of the 'Three Wonders of the World' alongside Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is said that the famous architect Mr. Liang Sicheng personally measured the dimensions of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda: it stands 67.31 meters tall, with a diameter of 30.27 meters at the base, and a total weight of 7,430 tons. The pagoda consists of three parts: the base, the body, and the steeple, with the base further divided into upper and lower levels—the lower level being square and the upper octagonal. The body of the pagoda is octagonal, with five visible stories and six eaves, but in reality, it has five bright and four dark stories, totaling nine stories. The ingenuity of the wooden pagoda also lies in its dynamic characteristics; due to its combination of rigid and flexible architectural structures, the 24 outer columns can adjust their load-bearing capacity in response to changes in the Earth's crust, giving it the ability to move flexibly and avoid disasters on its own. Throughout the course of history, the development of different religions, cultures, and ethnicities often carries traces of civilization's integration, rather than existing in isolation. As a Buddhist structure from the Liao Dynasty, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda incorporates many elements of Taoism in its design and construction. Standing in front of the pagoda, one can clearly see that the orientation of the wooden pagoda completely corresponds with the pre-heaven Bagua diagram. Moreover, the pagoda does not use a traditional square structure but instead an octagonal frame, which enhances the stability of the building. This also aligns with the Taoist pursuit of harmony and balance. What we can also see is that the architecture of the Liao Dynasty abandoned the soft and delicate beauty of the Song Dynasty architecture of the same period, choosing instead to inherit the grandeur and passionate exuberance of the architecture of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, thus highlighting the rugged and majestic characteristics of the architecture of the northern Liao Dynasty, presenting a completely different style from the Holy Mother Hall of Jinci in Taiyuan under the Northern Song Dynasty, 230 kilometers away. Within the five actual stories of the wooden pagoda, there are exquisite colored sculptures of Buddha. The style of the sculptures is very similar to those in the Baoji Teaching Hall of Huayan Temple in Datong, built in the seventh year of the Chongxi era (1038) of the Liao Dynasty, with vivid shapes, robust figures (which is completely different from the pursuit of delicate and clear features in the later Yungang Grottoes), and dignified faces. Although the interior sculptures have been weathered over a millennium and repaired and repainted over the generations, they still retain the original appearance of the Liao Dynasty sculptures. For example, the image of Sakyamuni in the first-floor hall has green beards and eyebrows, which is related to the Khitan men's practice of growing beards. Every era has its unique culture. Up to the present, there are eight major wooden structures from the Liao Dynasty still in existence, namely the Guanyin Pavilion, the Dule Temple Gate, the Sakyamuni Pagoda, the Fengguo Temple, the Daxiong Hall, the Baoji Teaching Hall of Huayan Temple, the Kaishan Temple, and the Ge Yuan Temple. Mr. Liang Sicheng named them the 'Eight Great Liao Constructions'. A thousand years have passed, the Liao regime has long been extinguished, and the Khitan people have disappeared without a trace, but the porcelain they left behind, the buildings, the culture, and their stories are still here, telling future generations that they were once here.

Shanxi is simply a paradise of history! 😁📚 Stepping on this ancient land, what you see is not just a tree, a house🏡. Everything you see is actually a mark left by history in the frost and wind... I hope you can, like me, slow down, and listen to these silent stories. ✍️🎶 As you stroll leisurely in the Foguang Temple, the hustle and bustle around you may gradually fade away at this moment. Seeing the full wishes of people when they leave, it's as if you can understand the longing of the ancestors for this sacred land. 🌙🔔 Here, at the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, you can face a thousand years of history. This ancient pagoda has withstood the test of time and still stands tall. 💪🏛️ However, time is eroding its body on one side, reminding me of Liang Sicheng's words, 'I really can't bear to leave, fearing that once we part, it may be forever,' leaving my heart filled with mixed emotions. 😔⏳ Entering Jinci, those little houses that seem to come straight out of 'Journey to the West' always remind me of the footprints of Sun Wukong. Perhaps he once played here, otherwise, how could he conjure up such similar 'little houses'? 🤔🐒 Whether it's under the Feiyun Tower or in front of the Xixian Xiaoxitian Gate in Xixian County, Shanxi will bring you surprises everywhere, as long as you are willing. 😊🌈 But honestly, the charm of 'Shanxi' is far more than what my simple words can describe. So, my treasures, you have to come and experience the historical charm here for yourself. 💪🧡

The previous day I stayed in Dai County, and when I woke up in the morning, it had just snowed a little. I walked through the snow to see the Ashoka Pagoda, the Confucian Temple, the Martial Temple, the General's Temple, and the Bianjing Tower in Dai County. The Ashoka Pagoda is located inside the government compound, and you can calmly walk in through the government gate without anyone stopping you. The existing pagoda is a brick pagoda rebuilt during the Yuan dynasty, and it's massive; The gate tower of the Confucian Temple is very beautiful. It was originally built during the Tang dynasty, and reconstruction began from the end of the Yuan dynasty and was completed in the early Ming dynasty, making it the largest Confucian temple in North China; the Bianjing Tower coincided with the Lantern Festival, and it was adorned with many colorful decorations, which diminished its original grandeur. Underneath the city tower, there's a donkey meat bowl shop claiming to be an intangible cultural heritage. After entering, I wanted to buy something to try but was forcefully sold a large portion, and incidentally, I was 'educated' by the boss's father for half an hour. In the afternoon, I set off for Ying County. I really recommend seeing the wooden pagoda early. When we went, there was construction going on far around it, and it feels like in the future, they want to turn it into a huge antique scenic spot. It might be difficult to see the original, quiet, and natural wooden pagoda again in the future. Very close to the Ying County Wooden Pagoda is a Pure Land Temple, with a ticket price of 15, which is not really worth it. It was only when I got to the base of the pagoda that I realized how big it was and how many pigeons there were. On the nearby streets of the ancient city, you can see it standing quietly. A few hundred meters down the street in front of the pagoda, there's a small stall selling braised skewers, which are very delicious. When we went, the stall owner's son, who was reading at university, came back to help his father during the winter vacation. The stall owner was so happy to see us buying a lot that he kept giving us extra skewers.

In Shanxi, there is a wooden tower that has stood for thousands of years: the magnificent roof resembling the Forbidden City, the bracket sets are strong and powerful, and the eaves are soaring like a roc spreading its wings... It is called the Yingxian Wooden Tower, which was built in the Liao Dynasty 966 years ago, and is 66 meters high, equivalent to more than 20 modern buildings. "Twenty miles away from Ying County, I saw the tower, and saw it shimmering in the reflection of the setting sun, and watched it until it became a silhouette, which was my greeting to this tower." - On the way to the Ying County Wooden Tower, the actor Xuan Lu sighed repeatedly. As the tallest and oldest existing wooden tower-style building in the world, the Ying County Wooden Tower is composed of more than 2,600 tons of wooden components, without a single nail. For a thousand years, it has not sunk in water or fallen in earthquakes. When Xuan Lu came to Ying County, she wanted to explore the secret of the wooden tower's thousand-year stability. It is reported that the Ying County Wooden Tower has a total of 54 types of bracket sets. In addition to the basic load-bearing, construction and aesthetic functions, the numerous bracket sets are also crucial to the earthquake resistance of the wooden tower. After being subjected to earthquakes and bombardments, they will become a kind of damping device, consuming the huge energy from the outside, thus making the entire tower safe and sound for thousands of years. In addition to the Ying County Wooden Tower, as the ancient capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the accompanying capital of the Liao and Jin Dynasties, and the important town of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Datong has many cultural relics and a profound cultural heritage. It has both the simplicity of the Central Plains and the style of nomadic life outside the Great Wall.

Preserved to this day is a thousand-year-old wooden structure tower, which was personally measured by the couple Liang Sicheng, a quite shocking pagoda with history and stories. Don't miss the Pure Land Temple next to it, the caisson ceiling is quite exquisite, worth a look, these two attractions are unique, be sure to hire a guide for explanation.

| China's millennium Leaning Tower of Pisa 'Ying County Wooden Tower'. When you come to Shanxi, you must go to see the millennium wooden tower of the Liao Dynasty, Ying County Wooden Tower! Ying County Wooden Tower, also known as the Buddha Palace Temple Shiyin Tower, was built in 1056 AD, with a height of 67.31 meters. It is the oldest and tallest mortise and tenon structure wooden tower in the world. The wooden tower has survived the baptism of artillery fire and still stands tall. It has now visibly tilted, with the second floor being the most severe. The maximum tilt angle reaches 11.3°, while the tilt angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy is only about 5°. Such a magnificent world treasure currently has no feasible repair plan, it's a sight to behold. Navigation positioning Shuozhou Ying County Wooden Tower (with parking lot) Tickets Adult ticket 48 yuan, student ticket half price, free for those over 60 Note: Currently only the first floor is open for visit, the play and photo time is about 1-2 hours, you can visit the Pure Land Temple nearby