Hunyuan Yuanjue Temple Pagoda

Hunyuan Yuanjue Temple Pagoda, officially known as Yuanjue Temple Shakyamuni Relic Brick Pagoda, commonly referred to as Xiaosi Pagoda, is located in Yuanjue Temple in Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province. It is an ancient architectural site from the Jin Dynasty. The Yuanjue Temple Pagoda was built in the third year of Jin Zhenglong (1158). The pagoda is nine stories high, with dense eaves and flying brackets, entirely made of bricks, and has an octagonal plan, imitating wooden structures. The base of the pagoda is surrounded by brick-carved reliefs, totaling 40 dancing and musical figures. Except for the first floor, there are no stairs to climb to the other floors. The first floor has doors on all four sides, but only the south door is a real door. The top of the pagoda is fitted with a lotus-shaped iron finial, with a flying phoenix at the top that can rotate with the wind, serving as an ancient natural wind vane. On March 5, 2013, the Hunyuan Yuanjue Temple Pagoda was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as part of the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units... The temple is currently under renovation... Hunyuan Ancient City