Zhengang Pagoda, Fusion pagoda in Yungang Subdistrict, China
Zhengang Pagoda is an octagonal solid brick flower pagoda standing 18 metres tall on a hill east of Yungang Village in Changxindian, Fengtai District, Beijing. Its base has double-arm brackets and five-step dougong, with a square pillar and wind bell at each corner. The upper section rises as seven tiers of staggered niches, each holding a Buddha statue with a different hand gesture, forming a conical bouquet.
The structure gained national protection status in 2013 as a Major Historical and Cultural Site. This designation reflects the tower's role in understanding how Chinese builders experimented with different construction traditions.
The name Zhengang means "suppressing the ridge", and local accounts link the tower to guarding the hill or the imperial dragon vein. A Chongshou Temple once stood to its north; the temple is gone, the pagoda remains. Wind bells hang from the corners of the octagonal base.
The pagoda stands on a hilltop east of Yungang Village in Changxindian, Fengtai District, and is reached by road; no regular public transport stops at the site itself. The structure is solid brick with no interior, so there is nothing to enter. Its base and retaining slope were reinforced in 1983 and again in 2001.
The octagonal base carries reliefs of two warriors and two civil officials on its northwest face, with a figure resembling the Thunder God between them. Each corner holds a square column topped by a wind bell. The upper cone of seven rings of niches is offset layer by layer, and the seated Buddhas inside differ in hand gestures and expression.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,086 contributors worldwide.