Ancient Pagoda Charm

The Gufang Dongshan Pagoda is located on Dongshan Mountain by the Baisha Stream, northeast of Gufang Village in Bailongqiao Town, Wucheng District, Jinhua City. Basic Overview • Construction Period: Built in the 23rd year of the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty (1595), with over 400 years of history. • Architectural Structure: A hollow brick tower-style pagoda with a hexagonal base, six sides and seven levels, standing over 20 meters tall. The pagoda body tapers inward at each level, with brick eaves on each floor, and Buddhist figures and murals painted on the exterior walls. Historical Changes • During the Anti-Japanese War, a Japanese bomb fell near the ancient pagoda, and shrapnel hit the tower body, creating a hole several dozen centimeters in diameter. • In 2011, the Dongshan Pagoda underwent restoration. The stone inscription "Towering to the Sky" bears the inscription "Mid-summer of Yiwei Year of Wanli Period" and "Nanxi Zhu Family XX." • In 2017, it was listed as the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units in Zhejiang Province. Cultural Relic Value • Historical Value: As the only surviving ancient pagoda in Jinhua city proper, it serves as important physical evidence for studying local historical changes and cultural heritage. • Artistic Value: The Buddhist statues and murals on the pagoda body reflect the artistic style and level of Ming Dynasty sculpture and painting, possessing high artistic and aesthetic value. Folk Tales • One story says it was built by the wealthy Pan family. The wives and concubines, unhappy with their husbands serving as officials away from home, had a feng shui master build the pagoda to disrupt the Pan family's feng shui, hoping their husbands would return home. • Another story tells of a Mr. Zhu from Gufang who, while drinking with the Hangzhou Prefecture Governor, boasted about the Dongshan Pagoda in his hometown. To fulfill his promise, he had to spend his own money to build the pagoda.