Mei Tang Sisters Pagoda, also known as the Twin Pagodas, are located in the southeast of Mei Tang Village, Mei Ting Township, Chengmai County, Hainan, and are ancient pagodas from the Yuan Dynasty. According to the records in ‘Zhengde Qiongtai Zhi’, Chen Daoxu, a person from the Yuan Dynasty, had two daughters, the eldest of whom was married, and the second became a nun. He built these pagodas in memory of his daughters. The pagodas stand 17 meters tall, one with a hexagonal base and six existing layers, imitating a wooden structure with a pavilion style. Each layer has a cornice connected to a flat seat, from the first to the third layer, with 12 cylindrical columns under each eave, and bracket sets supporting the lintels. From the fourth layer onwards, each layer only shows half-circular supporting columns on the outer wall, with pointed arched niches that are empty of Buddha statues. The central part of the must string seat is carved with a crowned sitting figure. The other pagoda has a square base, divided into seven layers, with an external structure similar to the aforementioned pagoda, but more delicate. Each layer’s outer wall niche is carved with Buddha statues in various postures, and the must string seat is decorated with a continuous lotus petal pattern. The four sides are engraved with auspicious and Buddhist relief patterns such as elephants, lions, unicorns, tigers, horses, and qilin. The four corners are also carved with strong men supporting the structure, and the pinnacle is a round jewel top. The twin pagodas are 20 meters apart, each standing on a tall platform in the water of the mountain pool, with railings around the platform and steps. The overall shape of the pagodas is harmonious and beautiful, with variations, and dozens of stone carvings are exquisitely detailed, vividly reflecting the social secular life at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, and can be regarded as an artistic treasure of Qiongzhou stone pagodas. The pagodas are open all year round, accessible 24 hours a day.
Mei Tang Mei Tang Sisters Pagoda
Mei Tang Sisters Pagoda, also known as the Twin Pagodas, are located in the southeast of Mei Tang Vi[...]
