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| The Pagoda |
Except the Longhua Pagoda and the Songjiang Square Pagoda thecomparatively renowned pagodas are the ten as follows:
1. Twin Pagodas at Nanxiang Located by the side of the main street in Nanxiang Town of Jiading District they were as said built under the reign of Tianjian in the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. When a farmer was digging the land he suddenly cames fly expose a piece of stone. But ever after he often saw two cranes it about and stand on it. Al that time Buddhism was on vogue and so it was deemed something wonderful as some monks said. The} set out for abnsgiving in order to build a temple on the spot. When the temple came lo completion the two cranes flew southwards with no more return, hence the Nanxiang Temple. Though the temple has gone away long ago vet the twin-pagodas are still there standing opposite each other in the east and west. Buih of brick and wood, the pagodas are octagonal of seven storeys with veranda, doors and windows on each floor. Although there is no deilnite time as to when they were built,it can be told however from tile building style that they were probably built in the Five Dynasties or Ihe Northern Song period.
2. Blue Dragon Pagoda Standing at the Blue Dragon Town, known in Chinese as Qinglongzhen, it is again known as Auspicious Cloud (Jisun in Chinese) Pagoda. Initially built in 821 . the first year in the reign of Changqing of Ihe Tang Dynasty. it was reconstructed during the period of 104I - 1048 under the reign of Qingli of the Northern Song Dynasty. Of brick and wooden structure, the pagoda was octagonal of se~en storeys. However, what is now in existence is only a Iorso of bricks.
3. Mae Pagoda Used to be an ancient pagoda on the islet of the Mao River (present-da3 Sun lsland International Club) it is a square brick pagoda of fixe storeys buih during the period of 874 -879 noder the reign of Qianfu of the Tang Dynasty. Though simple in structure, it was of good lnasonry and has ever been used as a beacon-llght tower for boats plying to and fro along the river. Having been repaired during the ensuing dynasties the pagoda is largely well kept with a complete torso, wheel and spike yet the precious vase at the top was stolen and the pagoda partly damaged somewhere in its middle. Nevertheless, the Tang style architecture is still there and so it was listed as a relic piece under the protection of the Shanghai Municipality in 1962. |
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