Casting the eye skyward on a tour of pagodas
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Yuanying Pagoda
Located in the Xilin Buddhism Temple, this octagonal pagoda has seven floors, built with bricks and wood during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
It’s the tallest ancient pagoda in Shanghai at a height of 46.5 meters. The inscription of the pagoda’s name was written by Master Hongyi (1880-1942), one of the best-known Buddhists, who was also a painter, calligrapher, musician and educator.
The pagoda’s body was laid by bricks painted with portraits of Buddha. In the back of the pagoda, there are two stone slabs erected in 1392 and 1448, where detailed history about the pagoda is recorded.
Address: 300 meters in the west of Zhongshan Rd W. in the Xilin Buddhism Temple
Li Pagoda
This seven-level, brick-and-wood pagoda rises about 33 meters. It was built in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
There was once a wooden staircase going all the way to the top, but it was largely destroyed during wars.
On the walls of each floor, ancient craftsmen carved 200 Buddha statues, each with different facial expressions and gestures. On the posts and bricks, they inscribed the names of people who donated to the pagoda’s restoration and upkeep. Most of the donors are women from the Song Dynasty.
The pagoda was built by Cao King Li Ming, the 13th son of Li Shiming, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The pagoda is named after him.
In 1213, a monk sponsored by a local landlord expanded the size of the pagoda and also built the small Chengyan Temple nearby.
During the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, the pagoda was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The latest renovation in 1997 was funded the Songjiang government.
Address: In the downtown of Shihudang Town
Xiu Daozhe Pagoda
Located at the foot of Sheshan Hill, this octagonal pagoda has seven floors over a height of 29 meters.
The Taoist Xiu began work on the pagoda in the late 10th century and is recorded as having personally assisted the construction. He suffered burns in the process, but history doesn’t record how or why. In order to honor the Taoist, the pagoda was name Xiu.
It was designed with 13 levels, more than 50 meters high, but the structure was destroyed first in the Yuan Dynasty and then later in the Qing Dynasty. It stood abandoned in the early 1900s.
In 1961, the pagoda was listed as a national cultural relics protected site by the State Council. Today visitors can still see the auspicious, vivid stone carvings on its bricks, including clouds, mythological animals, pine trees and golden fish.
Each level has 24 niches for Buddha statues. The pagoda was a shrine for 312 bronze Buddhas in the 1980s, but none survived.
Address: At the foot of the Sheshan Hill
Huzhu Baoguang Pagoda
This structure is often called China’s Leaning Tower of Pisa. It rises 19 meters at an angle of 6°52’52” to the southeast.
The octagonal, seven-floor pagoda, constructed in 1079, is located on one summit of Tianma Mountain. It was once a beautifully decorated complex with golden bells and carved roofs, but only the pagoda survived a fire during a Buddhism ceremony in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
At that time, many local residents believed there were sarira — or Buddhist relics, often the remains of high-ranking masters — in the temple. They pillaged the pagoda and dug into its foundation, looking for the treasures and causing the pagoda to tilt.
However, the pagoda never fell. A local tale goes that it is blessed by an ancient gingko tree nearby. The tree was said to have been planted by the Emperor Zhouwen (1152-1056 BC), who wrote the “Yi Ching” (“Book of Change”). The tree has the look of a dragon’s claw protecting the pagoda.
In 1987, the Songjiang Bureau of Cultural Relics began a renovation project to secure the leaning pagoda so it could withstand magnitude-6 earthquakes and Grade-10 winds.
Address: Middle Summit, Tianma Mountain
Fangta Pagoda
Built during the North Song Dynasty (1068-1094), this brick-and-wood complex is often called the “Crown of Shanghai’s Ancient Architecture.” It rises 42.65 meters over nine floors. At the top is an eight-meter-high spire shaped like a vase. The four “chains of winds and waves,” firmly anchor the eaves of the ninth floor on four sides.
In olden times, the top floor of the pagoda was the best spot for viewing birds in the ancient city of Songjiang. Thirty-six bronze bells were installed along the eaves. When they rang in the wind, the birds fly off.
Address: 235 Zhongshan Rd E.
Admission: 12 yuan
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