Liusheng Pagoda

Liusheng Pagoda is an important historical site at Shihu Port that marked where merchant ships would shift course from the main shipping line in Quanzhou Bay to the inner ports and provided divine protection for traveling merchants. The construction of Liusheng Pagoda was completed thanks to collaboration between religious groups, merchants and regular citizens, showing how Quanzhou’s diverse social structure in the Song and Yuan eras contributed to the city’s maritime trade. Liusheng Pagoda is located on Jinchai Hill (also known as Yandun Hill) on the northern tip of Shihu Peninsula, in the center of Quanzhou Bay. It is a stone pagoda styled to imitate a wooden pavilion. It was first built between 1111 and 1118 with funds raised by a pair of monks named Zuhui and Zongshi, along with a benefactor named Xue Gongsu. The stone pagoda that stands today was rebuilt between 1336 and 1339 by a local maritime merchant named Ling Huifu. Shihu Peninsula is roughly 17 kilometers from the old city of Quanzhou, jutting into the middle of Quanzhou Bay. Between the pagoda and the Dazhui and Xiaozhui Islets to its east lies the Daiyumen main shipping lane. As written in historical records, “All ships that enter Quanzhou Bay must pass by Daiyu Islet.” It was an important landmark for every merchant ship that entered Quanzhou Bay to berth at one of the inner port docks along the Jinjiang and Luoyang Rivers. Reaching a total height of 36 meters, Liusheng Pagoda is an octagonal, five-storey pavilion-style granite pagoda. With a double-layered Sumeru pedestal, the pagoda body consists of external walls, winding corridors and a core. On each floor, there are four arched doors and four recessed niches, arranged in a staggered fashion, and various examples of Buddhist imagery, such as heavenly warriors and fierce deities, are engraved on both sides of each niche and door. The eaves are held up with stone support brackets. According to historical documents, “Liusheng Pagoda’s magnificence rivals that of Zhenguo Pagoda and Renshou Pagoda in Kaiyuan Temple.” Liusheng Pagoda was included into the sixth group of major cultural heritage sites protected at the national level by the State Council in May, 2006.