Some of China’s oldest and most well-preserved treasures, pagoda forests give younger generations a chance to study and appreciate ancient Chinese architecture, and attract tourists from all over the country and beyond. Have a look at some of China’s most beautiful pagoda forests:

Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple – Dengfeng, Henan Project

Located at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, 300 meters west of the Shaolin Temple, lies the biggest pagoda forest in all of China. There are over 240 tomb pagodas from the Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, built for eminent monks and abbots who served the temple over the centuries.

The one-to-seven storey structures are mostly built from bricks and stones, and are no taller than fifteen meters. They have various shapes, including polygonal, cylindrical, monolithic or conical, and are built in pavilion-style. Each pagoda carries the year of its construction (ranging from 618 to 1911), as well as various inscriptions and carvings.

Pagoda Forest at Lingyan Temple – Changquing, Shandong Province

Made up of 167 tomb pagodas, dating from the Tang to the Qing dynasties, the pagoda-forest at Linyan Temple rivals the much more popular forest of Dengfeng. Most of the pagodas are bell-shaped, much smaller than those at the Shaolin Temple and have an artistic design.

The oldest pagoda was built between 742 and 755 and is decorated with lion heads, musicians, heavenly guards, all elements specific to the Tang Dynasty. Scattered through the tomb pagodas are eighty-one stone tablets.

Yinshan Pagoda Forest – Changping, Beijing

Ever since the Sui Dynasty (581-618) Yinshan Mountain (Silver Mountain) was considered a holy place by Buddhists, and therefore many temples and pagodas were built in the valley next to it. There are those who say that in ancient times, the area was filled with countless pagodas, but time and nature’s elements caused them to fall into ruin.

Of the eighteen pagodas left standing today, seven are in the original temple area and form the Yinshan Pagoda Forest. Five of them date back to the Jin Dynasty and are multi-eaved, while the other two are lama pagodas, built during the Yuan Dynasty. They are 20-30 meters high and have beautifully carved stone bases.

The Yinshan Pagoda Forest has been named a national scenic area and is the perfect place to admire natural beauty as well as ancient Buddhist architecture.

108 Dagobas – Qingtongxia

This centuries-old monument, built during the Ming dynasty, is different than the other Chinese pagoda forest. The 108 dabogas are set in a triangle shape, on Xiakou Mountain, on the west bank of the Yellow River.

The history and purpose of this mysterious formation is unknown. Some legends say 108 warriors died in this very place, defending the country against invaders and the dagobas were built in their honor, with the largest one on top representing the commanding their general. Others say the soldiers were in fact monks and the dagobas were built to bury them. But all this is just speculation and science has yet to discover the dagobas’ meaning.

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