Feihong tower

Feihong tower, which stands at Guangsheng temple on the top of Huoshan mountain, 17 kilometers northeast of Hongdong County, Shanxi Province, is the largest and most complete glass tower in China. Feihong tower was built in the Han Dynasty and has been rebuilt many times. It was built in 1516 and completed in 1527, which took 12 years. In 1622, an octagonal wailang tower was built at the bottom of the tower. The tower was safe from the earthquake of magnitude 8 in Linfen basin in 1695. The octagonal pagoda has 13 eaves and is 47.6 meters high. Except for the wooden cloister on the ground floor, all the others are made of green bricks, with eaves on each floor. The tower is decorated with yellow, green, blue and purple glass, commonly known as the glass tower. 1、 The second and third floors are the most exquisite. Under the eaves, there are various components and patterns, such as brackets, leaning pillars, Buddha statues, Bodhisattvas, Vajra, flowers, Panlong, birds and animals, etc. The tower is hollow and has a turning path for climbing. From the glazed tiles on the top of the gallery on the ground floor to the thousands of components in the glazed relief sculpture on the eight main surfaces above the second floor, the technique is extraordinary and rare in China. The whole pagoda has clear outline, vivid image, exquisite workmanship and magnificent momentum. The body of the tower is colorful, and it is as magical as the rainbow after the rain. It is as famous as Youguo Temple Pagoda in Kaifeng, Henan Province, and is known as "the second Pagoda in China". Guangsheng temple was first built in 147 A.D. in the fourth year of zongdali (769 A.D.), the name of Guangsheng temple was changed after Guo Ziyi, the king of Fenyang, asked to rebuild it. Guangsheng temple is divided into upper and lower temples, with a total of 11 halls. The existing buildings were rebuilt in Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The whole Buddhist temple is most famous for its glazed pagoda.

Feihong tower

Feihong pagoda is located in Guangsheng temple, Hongdong County, Shanxi Province. It is one of the first batch of national key protected cultural relics

. Feihong pagoda is one of the five Buddhist relic pagodas and four existing ancient pagodas in China. It is also the largest and most complete multicolored glass Pagoda with craftsman's inscription

. Feihong tower was built in Han Dynasty, formerly known as Ayu tower. The present tower was built in 1516 and completed in 1527, which took 12 years to complete.

Feihong pagoda is an octagonal Pagoda with 13 eaves, 47.6 meters high. Except for the wooden cloister on the ground floor, all the others are made of green bricks, with eaves on each floor. Because of its colorful body, such as the rainbow after the rain, it is called "Feihong tower".

86 version of the TV series "journey to the west" here is selected as the shooting scene of "SA TA Bian Qi Yuan"

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historical background

Feihong tower was built in Han Dynasty. In the first year of emperor Huan Jianhe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (147 A.D.), monks built a king Ayu pagoda here, which was one of the 19 Buddhist relic pagodas in China at that time. Guangsheng temple was known as gulushe temple at that time. Because there was a tower in the temple, it was also called Asoka tower. With the rise and fall of Buddhism, Ashoka pagoda has been on the rise and fall for several times.

In the fourth year of zongdali in Tang Dynasty (769 AD), Guo Ziyi, the king of Fenyang, found that there was a serious crack in the pagoda, so he asked to rebuild it and changed its name.

The present tower was built in 1516 and completed in 1527, which took 12 years to complete. In the first year of Tianqi (1621) of emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, monk Dahui of the capital built an additional corridor on the bottom of Feihong tower.

In 1622, an octagonal wailang tower was built at the bottom of the tower. The tower was safe from the earthquake of magnitude 8 in Linfen basin in 1695.

Current situation of scenic spots

In August 2018, the rainbow tower of Guangsheng temple was certified as "the world's highest colorful glass tower" by the world record certification authority (wrca), and it was recorded in the history of world records

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Zhaocheng Gold Collection

There is a temple under the Feihong tower, Guangsheng temple. Zhaocheng Jincang was originally kept in the Sutra cabinet of Mituo Hall of Guangsheng temple. This Tibetan Scripture is a rare Chinese translation of Sanskrit scriptures collected from Tianzhu by Xuanzang, the great master of Sanzang in Tang Dynasty. In 1148 A.D., the Buddhist community hired a high teacher to engrave it successfully in Pingyang (now Linfen City, Shanxi Province) in 30 years. Because it was engraved in Jin Dynasty and stored in Guangsheng temple in Zhaocheng county (now Hongdong County, Shanxi Province), it was named Zhaocheng Jincang.

There are 682 volumes of Zhaocheng Jincang, with more than 60 million words. Today, there are more than 4000 volumes, which is the only one in the world. Therefore, it is regarded as a rare treasure. Together with Yongle Dadian, Sikuquanshu and Dunhuang posthumous books, it is known as the treasure of the four town halls of the National Library

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Main attractions

Feihong pagoda is one of the five Buddhist relic pagodas and four existing ancient pagodas in China. It is also the largest and most complete glazed Pagoda with craftsman's inscription. It is also known as the "three wonders of Guangsheng" together with the "gold collection of Zhaocheng" and the murals of Yuan Dynasty in shuishen temple.

The plane of the tower is octagonal, with a total of 13 levels. Its height is 47.31 meters. It shrinks layer by layer from bottom to top. The eaves of the tower can almost form a straight line, like a cone.

The tower is made of brick, with an ambulatory on the ground floor, a double-layer turtle beard protruding from the south entrance, and a cross resting on the top of the mountain. It is exquisitely constructed and harmonious in proportion, just like a small pavilion.

The Tasha is made of copper, the Xiang wheel is made of iron, and the tassel is made of green glass.

Each layer is decorated with seven colors of colored glass. The glass imitates wood structure, and the bucket arch and lotus petal interlayer alternate with each other. The third to the tenth layers are built with niches, door openings and Fangxin, with Buddha, Bodhisattva and child statues inside. The door openings are inlaid with glass Panlong, Baozhu and other ornaments on both sides.

On the second floor of the tower, there is a flat seat for one week, with glass bars and watchposts. On the flat seat, there are statues of Buddha, Bodhisattva, heavenly king, disciple and Vajra.

On the third floor, there are four arches in the East, West, South and North. In the middle of each side, there are four statues of the heavenly king made of glass. In the south, there are two statues of the Ming King driving a dragon on both sides. In the north, the Phoenix is in the middle, and the two King Kong's armor is on both sides.

All the towers above the second floor are inlaid with glass and imitation wood components. Under the eaves of each floor are glass flower covers and lotus columns, as well as glass components such as buildings, pavilions, pavilions, corner pillars, Buddhist niches, flowers, figures, Xiang Feng, lions and elephants. There are various patterns on each floor.

Practical information

Ticket information

Ticket price: 55 yuan / person (pass to Guangsheng Temple scenic spot)

Preferential policies: the disabled, active duty soldiers, revolutionary disabled soldiers, 70 years old (including 70 years old), under 6 years old (including 6 years old) or under 1.2 meters tall (including 1.2 meters) are free of charge. Half ticket for 6-18-year-old minors and students.

Opening Hours

8: 00-18:00 (peak season) 8:00-17:30 (off season)

Travel time

April to October

Safety tips

Visitors can only enjoy the Feihong tower from the outside of the fence under the tower.

Traffic information

Self driving guide: drive along Huohou first class highway from Linfen City, drive about 50 km, 1 hour to the scenic spot.

Bus: Hongdong county south parking lot by direct Guangsheng Temple (every 30 minutes) bus 3 yuan, 25 minutes.

Then walk up the mountain for 15 minutes (lower Temple) or 25 minutes (upper Temple).

Address: Hongdong County, Linfen, Shanxi Province

Longitude: 111.799229

Latitude: 36.322732