Kaifeng Iron Pagoda

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Located at Kaibao Temple, Kaifeng Iron Pagoda is also named as Kaibao Temple Pagoda. It is the tallest, biggest and earliest colored-glazed pagoda extant in China.

There is an interesting legend about this pagoda. Long long ago, there was a strange spring on the Yishan Mountain in the north part of Kaifeng City. The spring was as big as a well and unfathomable. It sprung up day and night salty and tart water, making low-laying Kaifeng City full of mud and sewage. Finally, people in Kaifeng City were fed up and decided to stop up the spring. Thousands of stones were poured into it, but nothing changed. Even rocks, which were as big as millstones, disappeared as soon as they were thrown into the spring. Water continued to rush forth. Not knowing how to deal with it, people went back home disappointedly, leaving the spring what it was.

Then one day,a businessman came here and wanted to get some water. Just when he was fetching water from the spring, the bucket he used dropped into it with a swirl.

Soon afterwards, when he was traveling by ship at sea, he salvaged the bucket that he had lost in the spring opening in Yishan Mountain unexpectedly. Feeling surprised, the businessman told the Kaifeng civilians about it. Not until then did they realized that this spring was connected to the sea. No wonder it could not be filled up. Just when they were at a loss about what to do,a sound echoed from the sky for nights together, saying:”Build a pagoda. Build a pagoda.”People believed it was the help from God, so they rushed out and shouted the good news to each other:”Only by building up a pagoda can we stay at peace”.

However, they still did not feel ease because at that time they could buildbridges only. No one knew what a pagoda was, let alone how to build one. They thought and thought, but were still at loss after several days. Just at the time when they were about to give up, an old man who looks so healthy and full of pep appeared, shouting along the street:”Selling pagodas. Selling pagodas.”People were curious and gathered together to see what a pagoda really was. On the old man’s han was a model made of nanmu, thick on one side and slender on the other, like pavilions piling up together. Not until then did people know that a pagoda is suchan exquisitely carved, delicate and lovely construction. Craftsmen told the old man that they had to build a pagoda on the spring opening so as to cast a spell on the sirens and bring peace to the whole city. They asked him to sell them this pagoda. The old man put down the model happily and left without saying a word. In the next few days, craftsmen torn apart the pagoda and put it together again and again to figure out the precise structure of this pagoda. When they were about to start to build, another problem arose-it was easy to build the first two stories, but what about the upper ones? There was no way to transfer the materials upwards.

One day, the old man came back again, wishing to see the process of the building. He was confused to see that construction site was in a mess with all building materials. Craftsmen told him about the problem. He burst into anger on hearing the reason, grabbing the model and stamped it into mud without even turning around. The model was sucking in the mud with only its tip outside. People looked and looked. Suddenly, they understood the old man’s meaning. They dug out the model carefully and then covered it with soil one story after another. After several times, they finally caught the insight of this problem. People began to work busily.

The craftsmen built the first story over the spring opening and covered it with soil, making it a ramp to carry building materials for the second story. They worked like this till the 13th story was completed. After the soil was removed,a huge pagoda appeared magically. The spring opening became at ease and no water rushed forth ever since.

Actually, Kaifeng Iron Pagoda was not made of iron, but of brick modeled after wooded structure. It got its name because it is covered with dark brown glaze, which is similar to the color of iron. Therefore, it was called “Iron Pagoda”among the people from the Yuan dynasty on. This pagoda is 55.88 meters high and covered with iron brown colored glaze all through the body part. Various patterns and designs ofsingers and dancers, kylin and imaginary fairies were carved vividly and intricatel on the bricks. Components which are made of brick and stone on the outer wall of different usage are connected closely to the stocky central pillar, adding to itsability to withstand earthquake. In May,1938, the Japanese aggressors attacked thepagoda with cannons. The southern part of it was damaged to different extent from the fourth floor to the thirteenth. But the whole pagoda still stands tall and erect, full of power and grandeur.