Feiying Pagoda

Feiying Pagoda is located in Huzhou City of Zhejiang Province at Chinese eastern coast. There is a delicately carved stone pagoda inside and a high brick-and-stone pagoda outside. Among all the ancient pagodas, it is the only one pagoda with a pagoda in it in China.

Feiying Pagoda was originally located in the yard of Sheli Stone Pagoda on the west side of Feiying Temple in the fifth year (864) of the Xiantong reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) with a name of Zisheng Temple. It was called Shangcheng Temple in the fifth year (885) of the Zhonghe reign, and got the present name in the second year (1005) of the Ningjingde reign.

The pagoda inside was built in the fourth year (884) of the Zhonghe reign of the Tang Dynasty, and destroyed later. The extant stone pagoda was rebuilt in the Shaoxing reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), with epigraph carved in the 24th year and 25th year of the Shaoxing reign (1154 -1155).

The pagoda outside was built in the Kaibao reign (968-976) of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), but destroyed in the 22nd year (1152) of the Shaoxing reign. It was rebuilt in the Duanping reign (1234-1236) of the Southern Song Dynasty, and repaired several times later.

The Pagoda, made of white stones, takes the style of an attic-style pagoda imitating a wood structure with carved stones stacked up piece by piece. It has 5 storeys, with an extant height of 14.55 meters. The pedestal is carved with Nine Mountains and Eight Seas with the heavenly seat on it. Lotus, flowers and branches were carved on the heavenly seat. In the middle of the Pagoda vivid lions in different postures are carved on the walls. Above are the pagoda body, platform and eaves. On the pillars of the Pagoda there are names of almgivers. Every floor has doors and niches alternated with each other. Each door has a door plank made of solid wood with doornails on it. Above the door there is a window with straight lattices. Rafters, upturned eaves, round-ended tiles, dripping eaves, animals on ridge-poles and corner girders on the eave are all carved vividly.

Around the Pagoda are vivid reliefs about nirvana of Sakyamuni and so on. The seven-storeyed brick-and-wood pagoda outside was originally 47 meters high but was reduced to 36.3 meters later. Inside the inner walls there is a winding staircase, the second, third and fourth floors are installed with surrounding corridors and the three floors above are covered with wooden planks.

Feiying Pagoda, a famous scenic spot in Huzhou City, is the only extant pagoda with "a pagoda inside a pagoda" in China, and it has been listed as a key national relics protection unit.