At the end of the alleys in Beizhen lies the foremost twin towers in China

To be honest, Beizhen was not part of my Northeast China travel plan, and I knew nothing about this small northeastern city. It was just a stopover on my self-driving route, but it surprised me deeply. It turns out that it was the administrative center of Xianzhou during the Liao Dynasty and the guardian city of the two major imperial tombs of the Liao Dynasty.

After visiting the Beizhen Temple, the chief of the five towns for worship, I followed recommendations to visit the Chongxing Temple Twin Towers. Seeing them from afar was quite surprising because the restoration was excellent, especially the brick carvings on the towers, which almost perfectly present the majestic and bold Hu style balanced with Han Buddhist influences.

The exact construction date of the Chongxing Temple Twin Towers is unknown. Some scholars believe that the towers were likely built during the reigns of Liao Daozong or Emperor Tianzuo as a dedicated Buddhist structure to protect and worship the Qianling Tomb. It was intended both to honor the Liao royal family’s reverence for Buddhism and to pray for the ancestors’ blessings, as well as to express the will to ensure the prosperity of the nation through offerings to the Buddha. Although the reason for their construction remains a mystery, in the history of twin towers in China, the Chongxing Temple Twin Towers are among the earliest and most mature large-scale twin tower examples still existing. Moreover, the towers bear repair marks from the Liao, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, firmly establishing their status as the foremost twin towers in China.

The two brick towers stand 43 meters apart, facing each other from a distance. Upon closer inspection, the east and west towers differ slightly in details. Although they appear symmetrical, the east tower is actually slightly taller than the west tower. More importantly, there are clear differences in the brick carvings on the first level: the west tower’s carvings retain a stronger original Liao style, while the east tower’s carvings may have incorporated artistic styles from later periods (such as the Ming Dynasty) during repairs, making them softer. For example, the muscular and powerful guardian figures on the west tower are more “Hu” in style, while the east tower’s dougong brackets are more intricate and layered. Other differences include the poses of the flying apsaras, the shape of the pagoda tops, and the direction of the Buddha niches’ doors. Observing the twin towers with these detailed contrasts is very interesting.

The Chongxing Temple that once accompanied the twin towers no longer exists; what is seen now is a later reconstruction. However, it restores the layout of the paired temple and towers, making it an unmissable scenic spot in Beizhen.

📌 Travel tips
Photography is prohibited inside Chongxing Temple 📷 Please respect local religious customs

📌 Notes
China’s Four Great Twin Towers
Chongxing Temple Twin Towers, Yinchuan Baisikou Twin Towers, Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple Twin Towers, Taiyuan Yongzuo Temple Twin Towers

Post by TastyTemptations | Oct 25, 2025