Ancient Architecture | Da Yuan Northern Song Dynasty Twin Pagodas and Mengshan Giant Buddha

| Da Yuan Northern Song Dynasty Twin Pagodas and Mengshan Giant Buddha. To be honest, I went to see the Mengshan Giant Buddha because of these two twin pagodas built during the Northern Song Dynasty. Due to my limited time in Taiyuan, I even gave up visiting the Tianlongshan Grottoes. Fortunately, I not only encountered good weather but also saw a rainbow rising above the twin pagodas. Early on, when I learned about the many Liao Dynasty flower pagodas, I fell in love with these two pagodas at first sight through pictures. Among the dozen or so flower pagodas still existing in China, these are the only two that retain the Tang Dynasty style. Among the many twin pagodas, these two are the only ones sharing the same base, making them a unique example in the country. The Twin Pagodas, also known as the Twin Pagodas of Kaihua Temple, face east and were built in the first year of the Chunhua period of the Northern Song Dynasty (990 AD). The two pagodas stand side by side from north to south. The southern pagoda is named the 'Transformation Buddha Relic Pagoda,' and the northern pagoda is named the 'Dingguang Buddha Relic Pagoda.' The two pagodas have similar structures with slight differences in details. The pagoda bodies are brick-built, square, and single-layered, with a rectangular brick base connecting the two. The east side of the pagoda bodies has small chambers with arched doors, flame-shaped painted arches, and faintly visible entwined floral patterns. The north pagoda has straight lattice false windows on both sides, while the south pagoda has half-open false doors on both sides. The eaves of the pagodas are stacked, with wind chimes hanging from the four corners. The pagoda spires The first layer is a square brick-carved imitation railing. The second layer changes to an octagonal shape, gradually tapering inward. By the sixth layer, it becomes an octagonal pavilion with small niches on four sides, decorated with brick-carved figures and imitation wooden lattice windows at the corners. The topmost layer of the pagoda spire is a two-layered inverted lotus supporting a precious bead. The Mengshan Giant Buddha was carved in the second year of the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty (551 AD), about 1500 years ago. It is the largest cliff-carved Buddha statue of the Northern Dynasties period. The Mengshan Giant Buddha was destroyed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It was rediscovered during the place name survey of Taiyuan City in 1980.