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Open the map of Zhaoqing, you will find that the Xijiang River has made a big bend here, forming a pot shape, and the main city of Duanzhou is located in this pot, which is quite similar to Liuzhou in Guangxi. From the south bank of the Xijiang River through the Yuejiang Bridge across the Xijiang River, you can see in the distance next to the bridgehead near the direction of Duanzhou, there is a majestic pagoda, as if guarding this side of the water and soil in the town, this pagoda is the Chongxi Pagoda, a typical Ming Dynasty tower-style architectural style, majestic and elegant.
gate
To visit Chongxi Pagoda up close, you need to come to Jiangbin Road on the north bank of the West River. The Chongxi Pagoda is surrounded by a wall, and its gate is facing the West River. The lintel of the gate is written with the words "Chongxi Pagoda", which shows that it was written by Zhao Puchu in September 1984. There is also a couplet on both sides of the gate: "Seven stars high in the Big Dipper, a tower towering in the southern sky", which was also inscribed for Zhao Puchu at the same time. On the right side of the gate is inlaid with the stone stele of "Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit".
Chongxi Tower
Chongxi Pagoda was built in the 10th year of the Ming Dynasty (1582) and was built under the auspices of Wang Pan, the then prefect of Zhaoqing. The tower is an octagonal tower, with an exterior of 9 floors, an inner division of 17 floors, a height of 57.5 meters, and a statue of Tota Lux on the octagon of the base of the tower, and a copper wind chime is also hung on the cornice of the tower. The tower is white, the doors, windows and body are decorated in scarlet, and each floor of the eaves is covered with glazed tiles. Over the years, I have visited many monuments in the Pearl River Delta region and found that there are still many towers built during the Ming Dynasty, and it is estimated that it was very popular to do this during that time.
The function of this kind of tower is also basically similar, most of them follow the theory of feng shui, usually standing on the peak or river, while pinning on a certain wish, it can also be spectacular, and become the most important cultural landscape in the local area. "Jubilee" has the meaning of auspicious happiness, and the name of Chongxi expresses the intention of building this tower, that is, to pray for happiness.
The site of the Fairy Flower Temple
Walk along the wall of chongxi pagoda in the direction of the Yuejiang Bridge, and you will find a stone stele embedded in the wall with the text "Matteo Ricci Xianhua Temple Ruins", while the main text has been mottled and detached, difficult to identify, and the site area is enclosed and inaccessible. After checking the information, it turned out that Zhaoqing was the first stop of the Italian young man in Chinese mainland, where he lived for six years, and the missionary named Luo Mingjian who accompanied him was Luo Mingjian. It was Wang Pan, the prefect who presided over the construction of the Chongxi Pagoda, who helped them get an acre of land next to the Chongxi Pagoda and built a Catholic church here, named Xian hua Temple. Unfortunately, the vicissitudes of time have left only the ruins.
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