Wuying Pagoda
Wuying Pagoda | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Buddhism |
Location | |
Location | Zhongnanlu, Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei[1] |
Country | China |
Location in Hubei | |
Geographic coordinates | 30°32′01″N 114°20′05″E / 30.53350°N 114.334800°E |
Architecture | |
Completed | 552-4 (original pagoda) 1270 |
Materials | Stone |
Wuying Pagoda | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 无影 | ||||||
Literal meaning | "Shadowless" Pagoda | ||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 兴福 | ||||||
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The Wuying Pagoda (traditional Chinese:
History[edit]
Original Pagoda[edit]
The origin of Wuying Pagoda stretches back to the later part of the Northern and Southern dynasties period, it having been built during the reign of Emperor Yuan of Liang as part of the Jin'an Temple (
Repeated destruction and rebuilding[edit]
The original pagoda having been destroyed at some earlier time, it was rebuilt in 1270 (咸淳
Xingfu Temple was left in ruins in the 19th century, victim of the Taiping Rebellion. In 1953, Wuying Pagoda was located in a courtyard next to a kitchen in a residential area[4] to the east of Mount Hong within the grounds of South Central University for Nationalities, and was tilting severely. On November 15, 1956, the pagoda was among the first 101 locations in Hubei province declared a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the Provincial Level. In the winter of 1962/1963, it was moved to its current site at the western foot of Mount Hong adjoining a new tomb for Shi Yang that was erected in Hongshan Park by the local Ministry of Culture.[6]
Current status[edit]
The pagoda has eight sides and seven storeys, with four of the storeys including carvings of Buddhist figures carved in small niches.[7] It is 11.25 meters tall, with a diameter of 4.25 meters at the "Sumeru Throne" (須彌
On December 18, 2001, the Cultural Department of Wuchang completed repairs to the pagoda. In the seventh listing of major historical sites in China published on March 5, 2013, the pagoda was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level from the Song Dynasty, with historical site number 7-1213-3-511.[1]
Legend[edit]
Dragon Vein[edit]
According to one tradition, there is a 'dragon vein' (
'Shadowless'[edit]
There are multiple and varied claims made about the pagoda's lack of a shadow. The claim is made that the pagoda casts no shadow at noon on the summer solstice,[2][8] or at noon on the winter solstice.[6] More sensationally, the claim is made that the pagoda never casts a shadow.[6] An explanation given for the modern appearance of a shadow is the change in the pagoda's location.[3][9] The name is often used as the focus of puns and other jokes.[4][3]
Gallery[edit]
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Perspective from Northeast with former monument in foreground
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Perspective from Southeast
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Sumeru Throne (須彌
座 xūmízuò), common feature of the base of Buddhist pagodas -
Damaged artistry in a niche on the first storey
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Eaves and corbel brackets made to imitate wooden structure (
出 檐和仿木斗 栱) -
Lower Storeys
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Storeys one through four with intact niche sculpture visible
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Storeys three through seven
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Upper story ornamentation visible
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Text:
湖北 省 文物 保 护单位
無 影 塔 興福寺 塔 南 宋 湖北 省 人民 委 员会一 九 五 六 年 十 一 月 十 五 日 公布 武 汉市人 民政 府立
Former monument recognizing the inclusion of the pagoda in the November 15, 1956 declaration of Major Historical and Cultural Sites at the Provincial Level for Hubei Province
See also[edit]
- Chinese pagoda
- Chinese architecture
- Architecture of the Song Dynasty
- Seokgatap, ancient South Korean pagoda also referred to as the 'Shadowless Pagoda'
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "
第 七批全国重点文物保护单位名单 (Seventh Listing of Heritage Sites by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage)" (PDF). State Administration of Cultural Heritage. 2013. p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-02. Retrieved 2017-12-28.序 号 : 1213 编号: 7-1213-3-511名称 : 无影塔 时代:宋 (Song Dynasty)地 址 :湖北 省 武 汉市武 昌 区 - ^ a b c d e "Xingfu Temple Pagoda in Wuhan of Hubei Province". China Internet Information Center. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ a b c d e
苗 Miáo, 剑 Jiàn (2013-07-23). "变化时间空 间 "无影塔 "成 了 有 影 塔 (Changing Time and Location, "Shadowless (not important) Pagoda" Becomes an Important Pagoda (pagoda 'with a shadow'))".武 汉晨报. Archived from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-12-28. - ^ a b c 范 Fàn, 宁 Níng (2013-05-15). "无影
有 踪追 溯 洪 山 无影塔 历史 ("No Shadow But With History": (play on the name of the pagoda and the Chinese phrase 无影无踪 'Disappear without a Trace') Tracing the History of the Hongshan Wuying Pagoda (Mount Hong Shadowless Pagoda))". Tencent Dachuwang. Retrieved 2017-12-28. - ^ The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture By John Kieschnick. Published 2003. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-09676-7. page 83.
- ^ a b c d e 严 Yán, 珏 Jué (2014-09-09). "
武 汉最古老 建 筑"无影塔 "每 块石头都有 700多 岁 (Wuhan's Oldest Architectural Structure "Shadowless Pagoda", Every Stone Over Seven Hundred Years Old)". Phoenix Television. Retrieved 2017-12-28. - ^ "
武 汉市现存最古 老 建 筑 --洪 山 "无影塔 ". 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2017-12-28. - ^ "
武 汉有座 宋 代 无影塔 ,每 到 夏至 塔 的 影 子 就莫名 其妙的 消失 了 ". 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2017-12-28. - ^ "揭秘730
多年 无影古 塔 为武汉现存 最早 古 建 筑(图)(Uncovering the Secrets of the over 730 year-old Wuying Ancient Pagoda: Wuhan's Oldest Extant Ancient Architectural Structure (with Photographs))". Hubei Daily Online. 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
External links[edit]
- Hong Hill, Wuhan
- 听张
良 皋教授 讲述武 汉最老 古 建 筑——无影塔 的 前世 今 身 (in Chinese) - 变化时间
空 间 “无影塔 ”成 了 有 影 塔 (in Chinese) 武 昌 洪 山 无影塔 游 记 (in Chinese)
- Buddhist temples in Hubei
- Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century
- Religious buildings and structures in Wuhan
- Architecture in China
- Pagodas in China
- History of Hubei
- Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Hubei
- Military history of the Song dynasty
- Octagonal buildings in China
- Rebuilt buildings and structures in China
- Religion in Hubei
- Song dynasty architecture