[2024 Huzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Feiying Tower (Updated Sep)
Ancient Pagodas
Address:
No.155 Taxia Street, Wuxing District, Huzhou 313000, China
Opening times:
Opens at 08:30-16:30(Tickets available until 16:00)Open
Recommended sightseeing time:
1 hour
Phone:
0572-2024485
Feiying Tower in Huzhou.
The Feiying Tower, built in the Song Dynasty, is the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The batch is so early, it is definitely not given for nothing. At first sight, there is no amazing place, just a very tall brick tower. When I walked in, I found that there was a different world. It turned out that the brick tower was hollow, and there was a stone tower more than ten meters high inside. Although it was broken, the gods and Buddhas and group flowers carved on the stone tower were still very exquisite.
There is a circle of wooden ladders spiraling up along the inner wall of the brick tower. The wooden ladder is extremely narrow, and the ladder is only half a foot wide. It can only be climbed sideways, but it can just appreciate the reliefs on the stone tower layer by layer. When climbing, I thought of Du Fu's "Looking up through the dragon and snake cave, I started to come out of the branch and support the secluded" when he climbed the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It should be my current feeling.
"Boarding Huzhou Feiying Tower"
The lotus fragrance is separated from the water bank, and the flying bird crosses the floating tower.
Bricks and stones are divided into inside and outside, and the carvings are compassionate to monks and laymen.
The stock war often climbs the ladder, and the eyes are greedy for pictures.
The red dust should be broken early, and the orchid paddle hits Taihu Lake.
(2024.9.25, Huzhou)
aelin_1526
Explore the Feiying Pagoda, the only existing 'pagoda within a pagoda' in China
The Wu-Yue Kingdom only lasted for 72 years, but it was one of the peaks in the history of ancient Chinese pagoda construction. The Buddhist pagodas built by the Wu-Yue Kingdom were mainly tower-style pagodas, with a majority being brick pagodas imitating wooden tower structures.
During the Tang Dynasty, multi-storied tower-style brick pagodas appeared, with limited restoration of wooden structures. The Wu-Yue Kingdom, however, created a batch of exquisite brick pagodas imitating wooden structures, exploring a 'realistic' imitation pattern.
The brick body and wooden eaves pagodas of the Wu-Yue Kingdom not only closely resembled the appearance of wooden tower-style pagodas on the exterior but also explored the use of imitated wooden elements to piece together facades inside the pagoda, striving for consistency in construction details with wooden structures. These pagodas were widely popular in the Jiangnan region during the Song Dynasty and continued until the early Ming Dynasty.
The Feiying Pagoda in Huzhou was started in the fourth year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhonghe era (884) and was a brick body and wooden eaves pagoda built during the Wu-Yue Kingdom period. The construction took a whole ten years, and it is known as one of the 'Three Wonders of Huzhou' along with the Prefectural Temple (a temple within a temple) and the Chaoyin Bridge (a bridge within a bridge).
The Feiying Pagoda has an inner and an outer structure, with the 'pagoda within a pagoda' being a rare structure nationwide. The inner pagoda is an imitation wooden tower-style, with eight sides and five stories; the newly repaired outer pagoda is a mixed brick and wood structure, with eight sides and seven stories.
CipherScribe
Huzhou's three wonders include the Feiying Pagoda and the Prefectural Temple
Huzhou's Feiying Pagoda is quite unique, with a wooden pagoda encasing a stone one, creating the peculiar 'pagoda within a pagoda' structure. The inner stone pagoda was built in the fourth year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhonghe era to store Buddhist relics. During the Northern Song Dynasty's Kaibao era, a new wooden pagoda was constructed around the stone one, forming the current layout.
Feiying Pagoda is located within Feiying Park, which is open to the public for free. However, there is a fee to climb the pagoda. It is also a national cultural heritage site. This time, it underwent the largest scale renovation in forty years, with an estimated repair time of 150 days. It is set to reopen on May 22nd, which is quite unfortunate.
I also visited the Prefectural Temple, another of the three wonders, which is the Huzhou City God Temple. It was originally built during the Five Dynasties and Later Tang period and was relocated to its current site during the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu era. Most of the existing buildings were constructed later, and the scale is not large. The surrounding area is an antique market, which has significant cultural meaning.
BRADY GOODMAN
Feiying Park in Huzhou, the only 'tower within a tower' in China, is truly worth climbing
📍155 Taxia Street, Wuxing District, Huzhou City
⏰Business Hours: 08:30AM-17:00PM
🎫Tickets: Free admission to Feiying Park 'Feiying Tower: 20 yuan/ticket'
📝Travel Tips:
Feiying Park is a small yet exquisite classical garden park in the downtown area of Huzhou. If the summer lotuses make the park stand out, then the autumn and winter red maples paired with Feiying Tower are equally stunning~
The park has many pavilions and towers worth checking in, including Yunhai Building, Xiting, Momo Pavilion, and the archway in front of Feiying Tower. It is recommended to try shooting from different angles, and to bring Hanfu for a guaranteed beautiful photo~
Feiying Tower has a rather unique 'tower within a tower' structure. For those who are afraid of heights, be cautious when climbing. The stairs inside are really narrow, but once you reach the top, you can see the entire cityscape, and the overhead shooting effect is truly impressive~
For specific photo spots, refer to the pictures; several overhead shots were taken from Feiying Tower~
Whether departing from Shanghai or Hangzhou, it is very convenient to get to Huzhou. After visiting Feiying Park, you can go to the opposite Xu Zhongliang's traditional Dingsheng cake shop to buy a souvenir, making the trip perfect~
AdventurousAdventures
Huzhou's Three Uniques
The 'Pagoda within a Pagoda' refers to the Feiying Pagoda, which is a unique structure consisting of two pagodas, one inside the other; the inner one is made of stone, while the outer one is constructed of brick and wood.
The 'Bridge under the Bridge' represents the Chaoyin Bridge, where a smaller bridge was built under a three-arch stone bridge.
The 'Temple within a Temple' refers to the Prefectural Temple, that is, the Huzhou City God Temple, which includes a temple dedicated to the memory of Ming Dynasty officials who were like parents to the people of Huzhou.