Six murals decorate the surroundings, while six paintings of sponsors are painted on the door jambs of the northern and southern entrances.
The saints are Sakyamuni, Manjusri Bodhisattva (Wenshu pusa in Chinese) and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (Puxian pusa). They are accompanied by two attendant Bodhisattvas.
Some believe that the statues are also forms of Sakyamuni.
The Buddha (another form of Sakyamuni) is surround by disciples Ananda and Kasyapa, as well as two Bodhisattvas. Inside the statue, Liao Dynasty scrolls and paintings are hidden, in addition to Buddhist relics.
The supreme cosmic Buddha (an alternate form of Sakyamuni) is surrounded by eight Bodhisattvas.
Towering 67 meters without a single nail, the Liao Dynasty structure is a living witness to China’s cultural resilience across dynasties
Built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), the architectural marvel of Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, also known as Sakyamuni Pagoda, claims the title of the world’s tallest and oldest wooden structure, standing shoulder to shoulder with iconic landmarks like Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The pagoda, located in Fogong Temple of Yingxian county in Shuozhou city, Shanxi province, stands 67.31 meters tall with a base diameter of 30.27 meters, and weighs more than 7,400 metric tons. While it appears to have five stories and six eaves, it contains nine layers — five visible and four hidden ones.
The top of the pagoda, known as a finial, is formed by a series of iron or stone components that carry special Buddhism and cultural meanings. Cintamani gems, a jeweled parasol, solar disc, crescent moon, circular halo, floral canopy, spire rings, inverted alms bowl, lotus throne, pedestal and chain .
On each storey, there are two circles of wooden pillars to support the upper storey: 24 at the outside circle and 8 at the inside circle. Among the pillars, there are many diagonal bracings and short columns to enhance its stability and shock resistance. Some 54 types of dougong (interlocking wooden brackets) were used to connect various pillars and crossbeams.
The most magical part is that no iron nail is used at all. All connections are completed through the Chinese mortise and tenon joint structure, which can bear large loads and allows certain deformation. Over the past almost thousand years, the pagoda has survived numerous earthquakes, and even artillery attacks during warlord conflicts in 1920s.
The video shows several dougong types supporting the structure
Dougong is a unique interlocking wooden bracket system used in traditional Chinese architecture. It serves both structural and decorative purposes, distributing the weight of the roof evenly while adding intricate beauty to the design.
The tower is typical Buddhist architecture with ceremony sites constructed along the vertical space, which shows the prosperity and creativity of Buddhist architecture in the Liao Dynasty. It bears witness to how the nomadic Khitan was deeply affected by the Han’s farming culture after they passed the Great Wall southward and vigorously promoted cultural integration by developing Buddhism.
Its octagonal shape holds significant symbolic and structural meanings. The eight sides represent the Eightfold Path in Buddhism, which is the path to enlightenment.
Relics originally within the pagoda include two tooth relics of Sakyamuni, the 11 meter high Sakyamuni statue sitting under a delicate caisson ceiling at the first floor, various statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva from the second to the fifth storeys, historic plaques inscribed by notable historical figures from different dynasties, and notable, a living one — the special kind of swallow known as Mayan.
The characteristic ambient noise in the Fogon temple and especially around the pagoda is from the birds that nest and fly there. Video and sound recorded in Yingxian wooden pagoda.