Who has seen the interior of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda?

Even Liang Sicheng said that 20 li from Yingxian, he could see the wooden pagoda shimmering in the sunset until it became a silhouette – this was his "tribute" to the pagoda. In 1933, he led a team to begin scientific research on the wooden pagoda, which allowed this Liao Dynasty marvel to be seen by more people.

Don't just marvel at the pagoda's exterior; its interior holds many surprises: its 54 types of *dougong* (bracket sets) are a "museum of ancient architectural *dougong*", each one embodying the construction wisdom of the ancients; on the first floor, an Indian-style statue of Sakyamuni is solemn and majestic, and the Liao Dynasty murals still retain their original colors; the 54 plaques hold even more stories, such as "Jun Ji Shen Gong" (Divine Work of Supreme Grandeur) inscribed by Zhu Di, and "Tian Xia Qi Guan" (A Wonder of the World) inscribed by Zhu Houzhao, every word a praise. During renovations in 1974, precious cultural relics such as the *Qidan Tripitaka* were unexpectedly discovered, giving it even greater significance in the study of Liao Dynasty history.

Standing beneath the wooden pagoda is like standing in time. Have you seen it when you visited Shanxi? Tell us what you think of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in the comments section~

Post by Khloe Genevieve | Oct 22, 2025