Huizhao Temple and Huizhao Temple Pagoda in Weinan, Shaanxi

Huizhao Temple Pagoda, also known as Xiabang Pagoda, is located in Huizhao Temple, Xiabang Town, Linwei District, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province, and was built in the second year of Xianping of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty (999). The Huizhao Temple Pagoda has nine floors and is 36 meters high. The base of the tower is square, with a side length of 6.6 meters. Each side of the tower body is made of three imitation wood structures, with brick hidden pillars, supporting small eaves and brackets. The south side of the bottom layer has a ticket gate, and each corner of the tower wall supports a stone-carved Vajra warrior; from the second floor, each side has a ticket window, with layers of eaves stacked and serrated, and diamond corners and teeth are applied. The top of the tower is flat and pointed with bricks, and a treasure bottle-shaped copper shackle is placed. The bottom layer door lintel is carved with two dragons playing with pearls and kirin auspicious beasts, and the sides are carved with regular script couplets. There is still a five-room hall built in the Ming Dynasty and repaired in the Qing Dynasty in front of the tower. On March 5, 2013, the Huizhao Temple Pagoda was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The ancient tower is also known as the Copper Buddha Temple, which was built in the Jin Dynasty, and was added and repaired in the Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties. In the 34th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1555 AD), the building was destroyed in the Guanzhong earthquake. The resident monks vowed to be grand, and after four years, they rebuilt the hall and dormitory in 1559 and cast five new copper Buddha statues. After experiencing wind and rain, wars and other disasters, the halls were destroyed again in the Qing Dynasty. In the early years of the Republic of China, a five-room hard mountain-style Copper Buddha Hall (the current Daxiong Hall) was rebuilt in front of the tower, with a building area of about 190 square meters. Inside the hall are five Ming Dynasty copper Buddhas, about 2 meters high. The middle one is Sakyamuni Buddha, the east is the Disaster Relief and Longevity Medicine Buddha, the west is Amitabha Buddha, the far east is Maitreya Bodhisattva, and the far west is Guanyin Bodhisattva. The shape is solemn, the expression is compassionate, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas all sit cross-legged on the lotus platform, with three layers of lotus flowers. Each petal of the three central lotus platforms has a small Buddha statue with different postures, which is elegant and beautiful. It is not only a cultural relic treasure in the five provinces of the northwest, but also a rare treasure in the country.