Wanshou Tower is located at the summit of Baoguai Mountain in Shishi City. Together with scenic spots such as Chaotian Temple and Huxiu Temple, it forms the core scenic area of Baoguai Mountain. On the second level of the tower, the characters ‘Wanshou Bao Tower’ are engraved on the lintel. Inside the top level, there is a square stone niche that houses two stone statues, believed to be female figures representing the legendary ‘aunt and sister-in-law.
‘ The origin of the name ‘Aunt and Sister-in-Law Tower’ has two main versions. The more widely circulated version among the public comes from a sorrowful story: it is said that a long time ago, during a severe drought in Quanzhou, a poor man named Hai Sheng had to leave his newlywed wife and beloved sister to sail to Southeast Asia, promising to return after three years. After her brother left for Southeast Asia, the aunt and sister-in-law climbed Baoguai Mountain every day, piling stones to look out into the sea for the returning boat, hoping for a family reunion. When the three years were up, her brother returned by ship, and the aunt and sister-in-law saw his boat approaching the coast from the mountain. Suddenly, a storm arose, and a fierce wave capsized the ship carrying the poor brother. He perished at sea, and the aunt and sister-in-law, overwhelmed with grief, jumped off the cliff. To commemorate them, the ‘Aunt and Sister-in-Law Tower’ was built at the place where the two piled stones to look out. Another account, according to historical records, is that the tower was built by a monk named ‘Jie Shu,’ who observed that Baoguai Mountain is located at the junction of the southeast coast and waterway of Jinjiang. Influenced by traditional concepts, Jie Shu tirelessly raised funds to build this stone tower as a ‘lock for the wind and water mouths,’ hence named ‘Guan Suo Tower.’ It was also officially named ‘Wanshou Bao Tower,’ with the inscription on the second-floor tower door. The ‘Guan Suo Smoke and Clouds,’ one of the ‘Eight Scenes of Quanzhou,’ was thus born. Therefore, the currently accepted name for the tower is: the original name ‘Guan Suo Tower,’ and the official name ‘Wanshou Bao Tower.’ Literally, the main purpose of building this tower was to lock the wind and water mouths, to guard the southeast sea, to lock the wind and rain, and to lock the waves, hence the name ‘Guan Suo Tower. ‘ ‘Wanshou Bao Tower’ represents a broader vision and is also a wish for the prosperity of the nation. It can be seen that the names ‘Guan Suo Tower’ and ‘Wanshou Bao Tower’ coexisted from the beginning. In the Southern Fujian dialect, ‘Guan Suo’ and ‘Aunt and Sister-in-Law’ are homophones, which led to the misinterpretation and the subsequent evolution into ‘Aunt and Sister-in-Law Tower,’ becoming the commonly accepted name for the tower. Generally, a tower is built with a temple, and a temple is often built with a tower, but this tower stands alone at the top of the mountain without a temple nearby. Looking around the outer wall of the tower, there are no traditional exquisite Buddhist sculptures or complicated decorations, indicating that the tower’s purpose is relatively simple as a navigational marker. It is a professional navigational marker. The ‘Ba Min Tong Zhi,’ compiled during the Ming Dynasty, directly records: ‘(Guan Suo Tower) is very magnificent, and merchant ships returning from the sea use it as a sign of reaching the shore.’ As an important visual marker on the maritime route, Wanshou Tower has appeared multiple times in historical documents and navigational materials of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and its image can also be seen in ancient coastal maps and navigational charts.The overall landscape of Wanshou Pagoda and the mountain where it is located has become the first impression for merchant ships engaged in maritime trade when they arrive at Quanzhou Port. Seeing the pagoda means seeing Quanzhou. Therefore, Wanshou Pagoda is a landmark for merchant ships arriving at Quanzhou Port and a key landscape element of the national port during the Song and Yuan dynasties.
Opening hours: It is open 24 hours a day throughout the year. The specific business status is subject to the opening situation on the day.
