Feiying Pagoda
Feiying
Pagoda is located in Huzhou City of Zhejiang Province at Chinese eastern coast.
There is a delicately carved stone pagoda inside and a high brick-and-stone
pagoda outside. Among all the ancient pagodas, it is the only one pagoda with a
pagoda in it in China.
Feiying Pagoda was originally located in the yard of Sheli Stone Pagoda on
the west side of Feiying Temple in the fifth year (864) of the Xiantong reign of
the Tang Dynasty (618-907) with a name of Zisheng Temple. It was called
Shangcheng Temple in the fifth year (885) of the Zhonghe reign, and got the
present name in the second year (1005) of the Ningjingde reign.
The pagoda inside was built in the fourth year (884) of the Zhonghe reign of
the Tang Dynasty, and destroyed later. The extant stone pagoda was rebuilt in
the Shaoxing reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), with epigraph
carved in the 24th year and 25th year of the Shaoxing reign (1154 -1155).
The pagoda outside was built in the Kaibao reign (968-976) of the Northern
Song Dynasty (960-1127), but destroyed in the 22nd year (1152) of the Shaoxing
reign. It was rebuilt in the Duanping reign (1234-1236) of the Southern Song
Dynasty, and repaired several times later.
The Pagoda, made of white stones, takes the style of an attic-style pagoda
imitating a wood structure with carved stones stacked up piece by piece. It has
5 storeys, with an extant height of 14.55 meters. The pedestal is carved with
Nine Mountains and Eight Seas with the heavenly seat on it. Lotus, flowers and
branches were carved on the heavenly seat. In the middle of the Pagoda vivid
lions in different postures are carved on the walls. Above are the pagoda body,
platform and eaves. On the pillars of the Pagoda there are names of almgivers.
Every floor has doors and niches alternated with each other. Each door has a
door plank made of solid wood with doornails on it. Above the door there is a
window with straight lattices. Rafters, upturned eaves, round-ended tiles,
dripping eaves, animals on ridge-poles and corner girders on the eave are all
carved vividly.
Around the Pagoda are vivid reliefs about nirvana of Sakyamuni and so on. The
seven-storeyed brick-and-wood pagoda outside was originally 47 meters high but
was reduced to 36.3 meters later. Inside the inner walls there is a winding
staircase, the second, third and fourth floors are installed with surrounding
corridors and the three floors above are covered with wooden planks.
Feiying Pagoda, a famous scenic spot in Huzhou City, is the only extant
pagoda with "a pagoda inside a pagoda" in China, and it has been listed as a key
national relics protection unit.
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