The Green Dragon Pagoda

The Green Dragon Pagoda was originally built during the Changqing period of the Tang Dynasty (821-824), initially named Baode Temple Pagoda, as part of the Baode Temple complex. During the Song Dynasty, it was renamed along with the temple to Longfu Temple Pagoda, also known as the Green Dragon Wild Goose Pagoda, commonly referred to as the Green Dragon Pagoda. It is the 'Southern Pagoda' among the 'Seven Pagodas' of Qinglong Town, which was the earliest major seaport trading town in Shanghai. The Green Dragon Pagoda is a seven-story, octagonal structure made of brick and wood. The pagoda's body is brick-built, with a flat octagonal shape, a diameter of 6.6 meters, and four doors that alternate with each level. The original height of the seven stories was 41.5 meters, but now only 29.9 meters remain. Each level has a waist eave, brick arches, and projecting wooden components forming a flat balustrade. The inner walls are square in plan, receding and rotating 45° with each level. The temple pagoda has been repaired multiple times during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, later damaged by war, and now only the pagoda body remains. In particular, during the Yuan Dynasty's Dade third year (1299), Zhihe first year (1328), and Zhizheng third year (1343), the pagoda was repaired by the Qinglong Town residents Renfa, his son Xiande, and grandson Shizhi, over three generations. In the 54th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1715), Emperor Xuanye bestowed the name 'Jiyun Chan Temple' to Longfu Temple during his southern tour, and the pagoda was renamed accordingly. In 1954, the pagoda's spire was blown off, with the inscription 'Ming Chongzhen seventeenth year (1644)' on it, which is now collected in the Qingpu Museum. In 1992, the leaning pagoda body (deviating 1.56 meters from the center) was corrected and reinforced. The Green Dragon Pagoda has significant historical and cultural value and was announced as a Shanghai cultural relics protection unit in September 1962.