The Iron Tower is located at the back peak of Beigu Mountain. Originally a stone tower, it was built by Li Deyu in the first year of Baoli in the Tang Dynasty (825). Also known as Weigong Tower, it has a history of more than a thousand years. During Qianfu (874-879), it was destroyed by fire. In the Xining period of the Song Dynasty, it was rebuilt as an iron tower. In the 10th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1582), due to a tsunami, the iron tower toppled.
When it was rebuilt, it was changed to seven levels. In the 7th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1868) and the 12th year of Guangxu (1886), it encountered strong winds and thunder twice in succession. The existing tower base and the remaining four floors of the tower are about 8 meters high. The tower base and the first and second floors are original objects of the Song Dynasty, and the rest were cast in the Ming Dynasty. The iron tower is in a pavilion style and octagonal. The tower body has four doors on eight sides. Each side has Buddha statues and flying apsaras in different shapes. There is an inscription on the fourth floor of the tower body, with official titles of the Ming Dynasty such as ‘Fuzheng Dafu’, ‘Chengzhilang’, and ‘Wenlinlang’ cast on it. There are also patterns such as cloud and water patterns, lotus petals, and two dragons playing with a pearl cast on the base of the tower. The images are vivid and seem to come alive. During the renovation of the iron tower in May 1960, an excavation was carried out on the tower base. A total of 2,576 cultural relics were unearthed, including a golden coffin, a silver outer coffin, and Buddhist relics. Among them, the ‘Inscription on Reburying the Buddhist Relics of the Chanzhong Temple’ written by Li Deyu is very valuable.Opening hours: Open all year round from 7:30 to 17:30.
