Yingxian Wooden Pagoda


Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is located in Yingxian, Shanxi province. People can see a high pagoda towering aloft in the
area about 70 kilometers away from Datong, that is called Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, one of five ancient architectures
in Shanxi province.

Yingxian wooden pagoda is also called Buddha Palace Mosque Shijia pagoda, which was set up in 2ndyear of Da
Liao Qingning (1056A.D.) Nearly 1000 years age, the Buddha Palace Mosque was a magnificent mosque. After that,
it was damaged during war. The wooden pagoda named Shijia Pagoda has been towered aloft until nowadays.

The outside appearance of the pagoda is octagon, 67.3 meter high. The diameter of groud floor is 30 meters. It has 5
floors and 6 eaves if you look it from outside, In fact, every floor has inner layer, so, it has 5 floors outside and 4 floors
inside, 9 floors together.

The image of Sakyamuni is in the middle of first floor which looks grand and solemn, gives people mysterious feeling. There are 6 portraits of
Buddha in the wall with proper proportion and bright color. "Feitian" (one of fresco) beside the Buddha head look active and plentiful, glowing with
health and radiating vigor, it is a masterpiece among fresco.

There is a sitting Buddha who faces to four directions on the 3rd floor. There is a sit image of Sakyamuni in the middle of 5th floor,8 Bodhisattva sit
around it. As there are no inner floors in the center of the pagoda, the image looks more solemn and grand. All these used structure-gap well and
designed very scientifically.

There are sidewalks and surrounded railing for people leaning on and enjoying a distant view from the 2nd to 5th floor. According to the record of
relative historical documents, if people stand on the top floor, they can see the views 60 kilometers away. Therefore, the top of the pagoda can be
used not only for enjoying scenic beauty, but also be used as surveying stand for observing and commanding struggle in ancient times.

This wooden structure pagoda without any nail and rivet is a huge building project with high-degree difficulty.
Every floor preserved Buddha image and relics in the pagoda. It occupies special position in architecture
scale and art among the ancient pagodas today in China. It is the only highest and oldest Buddha pagoda
with wood only.