Meilang Twin Towers Museum
The Meilang Twin Towers Museum is located in the southeast corner of Meilang Village, Yongfa Town, Chengmai County, Hainan Province. It was built in the Southern Song Dynasty.
According to the "Zhengde Qiongtai Records" of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Daoxu, a native of Chengmai County in the Southern Song Dynasty, believed in Buddhism when he was young, remained a Buddhist all his life, and once served as a supervisor of religion. He had two daughters, Lingzhao and Shanchang. The eldest daughter, Shanshan, married and lived frugally. The second daughter was a devout Buddhist and became a nunnery. Chen Daoxu was moved by the good character of the two girls, so he practiced Taoism and donated money to build the "Mailang Two Pagodas", namely the Meilan Sisters Pagodas, in front of Jirui Temple to commemorate and worship them.
The towering Meilan Twin Towers face east and west, with the elder sister tower on the left and the younger sister tower on the right, only 20 meters apart. Both towers are hollow-tube pavilion-style pagodas built of stone with an imitation wooden structure, consisting of an underground palace, a base, a tower body, and a pagoda. The main tower is hexagonal with five floors and a total height of 13 meters. The sister tower is square in shape with seven floors and a total height of 12.6 meters. The bases and bodies of the twin towers are respectively carved with stone statues of Buddha, civil officials, military generals, Vajra warriors, etc. There are also relief carvings of mythical beasts, unicorns, elephants, lions, horses, etc., as well as lotus petal patterns, cirrus cloud patterns, etc. The heart chamber of Metata also houses statues of Sakyamuni and Amitābha. The stone carvings are neatly patterned, the statues are vivid and lifelike, the lines are smooth and unrestrained, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. It is the earliest and best-preserved historical and cultural heritage in Hainan, with high historical, scientific and artistic value.
In November 1996, the Meilang Twin Towers were announced as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
Ticket information: Free
Opening hours: All day
Transportation guide: Self-driving