Wenguang tower

Wenguang tower

Wenguang pagoda is located in the east of Zhonghua Road, Chaoyang District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province. It is also called "Thousand Buddha pagoda" because of its thousands of Buddha statues. It was built in 1131, the first year of Shaoxing in Song Dynasty.

Wenguang tower is a brick and stone structure with a flat corridor and pavilion. It is 42.62 meters high and hollow inside. It has eight sides and seven floors. Each floor has arched round windows and stone railings. There are 122 spiral stone ladders in the tower. The gate of the tower is equipped with a pair of lions, and the end of the tower is equipped with red gourd. Wenguang pagoda is a collection of architectural art of ancient pagodas in song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has high historical and cultural value to study the shape change and construction experience of ancient pagodas in China. Wenguang pagoda integrates Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, which is one of the special cases of Chinese ancient pagoda architectural culture. It is also a historical and cultural landmark of Chaoyang.

In 1989, Wenguang tower was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Guangdong Province;

On May 3, 2013, Wenguang tower was announced as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

Historical evolution

In the first year of Shaoxing in Song Dynasty (1131), Wenguang tower was first built and then collapsed.

In 1266, when Zhao Ruchi, a Taoist, presided over the reconstruction, he placed the Thousand Buddhas in the pagoda, which was later abolished.

In 1635, Qi Jiazhi, the magistrate of the county, presided over the reconstruction. Wu Shixun, a native of the city, renamed the tower Wenguang tower, and erected a fine carved stone tablet: the record of jianwengong tower in houqigong Ding of Chaoyang City.

In 1815, Tang Wenzao, the magistrate of Chaoyang County, was fully renovated. The inscription on the stone plaque of the gate of the pagoda is "Wenguang pagoda", with "Jiaqing Yihai Mengdong" on the left and "Yuzhang tangwenzaoli" on the right. Tang Wenzao's couplet is engraved on both sides of the tower gate: "the writing style for a thousand years is golden, and the light of a hundred feet goes through the bullfight.".

In 1981, a pair of stone lions were moved to both sides of the tower gate.

Architectural features

Wenguang tower is octagonal in plane, sitting north to south, stone bucket arch bearing eaves Gallery Pavilion style, stone brick construction. The tower is 42.42 meters high, hollow, with eight sides and seven floors. The flat seats of each layer of the tower are short because they are made of stone. Each layer of the tower is connected by spiral stone steps; the bottom tower gate is the second to the sixth layer to the south, and each layer has four gates to the tower outline, and there are stone railings outside. The chamber of the pagoda is of the type of folding in the wall. There are 126 spiral stone steps inside, which can reach the top of the pagoda and reach the hall of the pagoda.

Cultural relics

Stone tablets

In 1815, Tang Wenzao, the magistrate of Chaoyang County, was fully renovated. On the top of the tower, there was a large stone plaque inscribed with "Wenguang tower", with "Jiaqing Yihai Mengdong" on the left and "Yuzhang tangwenzaoli" on the right. Tang Wenzao's couplet is engraved on both sides of the tower gate: "the writing style for a thousand years is golden, and the light of a hundred feet goes through the bullfight.".

 

Taguan ancient well

Located on the left side of Wenguang pagoda, the ancient well of pagoda hall was built in the Xianchun period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1265-1274). It has a history of more than 700 years. It was originally called the well of thousand Buddha pagoda hall. It is said that during the construction of the tower, due to the soft geology in the southwest, the tower body tilted slightly to the southwest, which was the center of gravity of the balance tower, so this well was dug. The diameter of the well is 1.6 meters. The wall of the well is a round brick wall structure, and the edge of the well is made of octagonal hard stone. The well spring is rich, clear and mellow. It will not dry up for a long time and can be used as food for nearby residents. According to the records of Guangxu Chaoyang, the well is known as the first well in Jiulong, Chaoyang County. It is a series of cultural relics of Wenguang tower.

 

Ancient corridor

In April 2009, after the fourth renovation of Wenguang pagoda and Wenguang Park organized by Chaoyang District government, the base of the pagoda was lowered by 60cm to restore its historical height. A 6.16m long and 2.44m wide ancient corridor was found underground in front of the gate of the pagoda, which is composed of three Qian hexagrams. It highlights the moral of Taoist eight trigrams and makes the pagoda more harmonious with the park.

 

Stone lion in front of the tower

A pair of stone lions in front of the gate of Wenguang tower also have a long history. According to some old people in Miancheng, they are a pair of stone lions in front of the gate of Wenci temple in Chaoyang County. When the Japanese bombed Chaoyang, Wenci was destroyed and Shishi survived. When the simple theater was built after liberation, the stone lion was temporarily placed behind the audience of the theater. Wenguang Park was built in 1958. With the approval of the leaders of the cultural department, the stone lion was moved in front of the Wenguang tower.

 

Cultural relics protection

In 1956 and 1981, the Department in charge of culture of Chaoyang County carried out maintenance twice to maintain the original structure and appearance.

 

In 1989, Wenguang tower was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Guangdong Province.

 

Since April 2009, Shantou Chaoyang District government has arranged special funds for the renovation of Wenguang tower and Wenguang park for the fourth renovation after the founding of the people's Republic of China.

 

On May 3, 2013, Wenguang tower was announced as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

 

Value significance

Wenguang pagoda is a collection of architectural art of ancient pagodas in song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has high historical and cultural value to study the shape change and construction experience of ancient pagodas in China. Wenguang pagoda integrates Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, which is one of the special cases of Chinese ancient pagoda architectural culture. It is also a historical and cultural landmark of Chaoyang.

 

History and culture

The origin of the name

The Wenguang Pagoda in Chaoyang, formerly known as the thousand Buddha pagoda, is said to have been thundered in the Yuan Dynasty and repaired by Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. When people re named it, they thought: pagoda is like colored pen, blue sky is like brocade paper, glans sea is inkstone, writing articles in the sky, generations of talents come out, shining in the sun. So it was renamed "Wenguang tower".

 

Legends and anecdotes

It is said that when the tower was built, Fu Da's apprentice, a teacher who was contracted to build the Guishan tower in zaopu, was hired. After the construction started, the tower was built layer by layer, and the last layer was built, but the body of the tower gradually tilted to the river. Although the great apprentice had taken precautions against the unstable foundation along the river and built a stone dike to support it. But at this time, the stone dike couldn't stand the gravity of the tower and cracked. The project had to stop. Later, his wife brought water home from outside, and the water was muddy. The disciple asked why. His wife said that the bricks on the wall of the well collapsed, and the mud on the side of the well came down, which made the water muddy. At this time, the great apprentice understood the reason why the tower tilted. The next day, the great apprentice announced that the project would continue. On the one hand, he stepped up the dike protection, and on the other hand, he dug four deep wells on the hard soil side. As the soil on both sides is soft and hard, the tower gradually sits upright. When the teacher Fu learns of the situation, he has to praise the wisdom of the great apprentice.

 

Tourism information

geographical position

Wenguang tower is located in Wenguang Park, east of Zhonghua Road, Miancheng, Chaoyang District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province.

Traffic information

self-driving travelling:

1. Drive along G324 national highway to Chaoyang, then turn to Zhonghua Road to reach the scenic spot.

2. From Haimen toll station of Shenzhen Shantou expressway, turn northbound Xinhua East Road, enter Dongshan Avenue, and then drive to Zhonghua Road to reach the scenic spot.

Passenger shuttle bus: take the shuttle bus between Liangchao and Shantou, get off in Miancheng and walk to the scenic spot.

Bus route: take bus No.123 of Shantou bus, get off at Chaoyang bus station, and walk about 700 meters to the scenic spot.

 

Address: 163 Zhonghua Road, Chaoyang District, Shantou City

Longitude: 116.60246

Latitude: 23.25932