Langlang Qilu Month·Journey to Luxi·Jining Iron Tower·Chen Tong Design Chang’s Wishes

Langlang Qilu Month·Journey to Luxi·Jining Iron Tower·Chen Tong Design Chang's Wishes

The Iron Pagoda is located in Jining Iron Pagoda Temple, a stone's throw away from Taibai Tower. The original name of Iron Pagoda Temple was "Changjue Temple", which was first built in the first year of Emperor Jian of the Northern Qi Dynasty (560). The Iron Pagoda was built in the fourth year of Chongning (1105) of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the current name was changed.

The pagoda was originally built with seven levels, but the top had not yet been cast. "For example, a great husband wears a majestic sword, but the crown is not decorated. People who talk about it often think that the beauty is not fully appreciated" ("Jining Zhili Prefecture Chronicle·Wang Zi's ??Story of Rebuilding the Iron Tower"). In the ninth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1581), it was rebuilt and increased to nine levels, and the top of the tower was cast. (Due to different statistical methods, it is said that there are eleven levels.) The tower is 23.8 meters high. The tower body is octagonal and has an iron shell and brick core. Each floor is composed of three parts: the hooked railing flat base, the tower body, and the eaves. The area is from the bottom to the bottom. The upper floors decrease gradually, making the tower appear tall and beautiful. The flat seats and eaves are supported by heavy brackets. The fences and railings along the edges of the flat seats have various patterns, each with its own characteristics. There are square false doors on the four sides of each floor, and two Buddha statues are placed in niches on the remaining four sides. The Buddha statue sits cross-legged and has a vivid image. Below the top of the tower is the Xumizuo, on which are placed ten lotus petals. On the top is a copper gold medal with a peach-shaped and pointed ornament. The whole tower is majestic and magnificent.

On the wall of the tower on the first floor, there are the words "Chongning Yiyou Chang of the Great Song Dynasty returned to her husband Xu Yongan and was willing to cast it". There is such a story among the local people:

In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a large mound in the north of the city, which was said to be the point where Mu Guiying defeated Hongzhou (today's Jining). Fifty years after Mu Guiying defeated Hongzhou, Hongzhou was occupied by Liao soldiers again. In order to prevent the Song army from seizing the city, the Liao soldiers built the Hongzhou city wall. There was a wealthy family named Xu in the south of "Dianjiangtai". He wanted to make a fortune, so he hired hundreds of people to dig the soil from "Dianjiangtai" to make bricks and bake them to sell to the Liao soldiers. After the bricks in the first kiln were filled and the "Kiln God" was worshipped, Xu Yuanwai went into the kiln to light the fire. Unexpectedly, there was a "bang" and the kiln collapsed, and Xu Yuanwai was trapped inside. By the time his family took him out, he had a broken spine and was dying. Xu Yuanwai's wife, Chang, received a piece of paper from the gods, which read: "Dig a hole for me, add a layer for me, and cast it into an iron tower, sparing your life." Chang rushed to the station to check the dug earth pits. There are eleven kiln pits. She then found her son Xu Zhong, who was building military chariots for the Liao soldiers in Hongzhou City, and asked him to find a way to cast an iron tower. . At this time, General Yang Wenguang of the Northern Song Dynasty led his troops in the Northern Expedition and attacked Hongzhou City. The Liao general who was guarding the city, Yelu Chanqi, urged Xuzhong to assemble the chariot immediately. Xuzhong summoned craftsmen to transport the iron plates to the north gate city wall overnight and installed them into a nine-story iron tower. Then everyone jumped over the wall from the top of the tower to defect to the Song Dynasty. military. Early the next morning, Yelu Chanqi was surprised to find that one of the chariots was not loaded, but a nine-story iron tower had appeared overnight. He also saw the Song army under the city like a tidal wave. Knowing that he could not resist it, he committed suicide by jumping from the tower. After Yang Wenguang led the Song army into the city, Xu Zhong and his mother came to see him. At this time, Xu Zhong also recovered from his injuries and everyone was happy. Yang Wenguang ordered Xu Zhong to cast the above paragraph on the tower. Hundreds of years later, Jining Taoist Gong Mian raised funds to add two more floors, forming the current tower.