Entity
Weishan Fengchuan Pagoda
Dali, Yunnan, China
In 1854, sub-prefects Li Rongcan and Shen Deheng directed local builders to raise a thirty-meter brick tower on the summit of Fengchuan Mountain. They aligned this seven-level structure on a strict north-south axis with the ancient city's Confucius Temple and the Wenbi Pagoda. This alignment served a protective purpose. According to local belief, the tower pinned down the fourth prince of the Erhai Dragon King, whom the goddess Guanyin had transformed into the mountain to prevent catastrophic floods.
The pagoda stands as a unique architectural specimen in Weishan County. Its hollow brick body rises from a three-tiered base that transitions from a perfect square into an unequal octagon. On each of the seven levels, arched niches face the four cardinal directions, each sheltering a carved stone Buddha. At the summit, a copper treasure bottle finial rests upon a stone canopy carved with lotus petals.
Standing at the base of the tower, visitors experience a landscape of sharp sensory contrasts. The smell of sulfur rises from the natural hot springs in the valley below. The wind makes a deep, rushing sound through the surrounding pine forests. From the northern side, the entire Weishan basin spreads out, and the Red River appears as a thin, glittering thread. Today, a new road connects the historic revolutionary village of Wengjiayako directly to this monument, which received official protection as a regional cultural relic in 2023, linking the spiritual defense of an ancient valley with the physical paths of modern history.