[2025 Xuancheng Attraction] Travel Guide for Guangjiao Pagoda (Updated Apr)

Xuancheng is located in the southeast of Anhui Province. It is the only prefecture-level city in the province that borders both Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Xuancheng was known as Wanling and Xuanzhou in ancient times, and the name Xuanzhou is still used in the Xuancheng City area. Today, we will spend 2 days in Xuanzhou District, Xuancheng City, following the descriptions in Tang and Song poems to find the beautiful and poetic Xuanzhou! 1. Must-visit attractions: Jinting Mountain Scenic Area, Wanling Lake, Hongyuan Temple, Guangjiao Temple and Guangjiao Temple Twin Towers Ruins, Chinese Alligator Breeding and Viewing Center, Xuancheng Museum, Fushan Square, Xie Tiao Tower. 2. Itinerary: Day 1: Jinting Mountain, Hongyuan Temple, Guangjiao Temple and Guangjiao Temple Twin Towers. Jinting Mountain is large and takes half a day to visit. Day 2: Wanling Lake, Xuancheng Museum, Fushan Square, Xie Tiao Tower, and Chinese Alligator Breeding and Viewing Center. 3. Accommodation: Xuancheng has a well-developed hotel industry, and most hotels are very affordable, with many hotels costing less than CNY 100. If you want to stay in a better resort hotel, the cost is about CNY 300. The cost of staying at Wenyuan Villa is CNY 360 in the off-season. 4. Dining: Xuancheng is located in the fish and rice region of southern Anhui, close to Huizhou and Jiangsu, so the cuisine is more popular and acceptable to most tourists in China. The cost of dining in Xuancheng is also very affordable, with a daily cost of CNY 150 per person, and CNY 300 for 2 days. 5. Transportation: Xuancheng has a well-developed transportation system, with Wuxuan Airport and Xuancheng Railway Station. Xuancheng Railway Station has a wide range of connections, with the northwest reaching as far as Xinjiang, the northeast reaching as far as Mudanjiang, the southwest reaching as far as Kunming, and the southeast reaching Shanghai, covering most cities in China. The main means of transportation in the city are buses, taxis, rural buses, and online car-hailing services, which are very convenient. 6. Travel budget: ① Tickets: Jinting Mountain CNY 50, Chinese Alligator Breeding and Viewing Center CNY 30; ② Accommodation: CNY 360; ③ Dining: CNY 300; ④ Transportation in the city (including bus and taxi fares): CNY 80; Total: CNY 820.

The twin towers of Guangjiao Temple in Xuancheng are the only existing twin towers of the Song Dynasty in China, with extremely high historical and artistic value. 👍👍👍The twin towers are embedded with the stele of "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Wish-fulfilling Wheel Dharani Sutra" written by Su Shi in the fourth year of Yuanfeng (1081). The east tower is engraved with the entire scripture, and the west tower is engraved with the mantra part. This scripture is precious material of Su Shi's calligraphy art. 🌈Temple establishment: Guangjiao Temple is located at the southern foot of Jingting Mountain in Xuancheng City, Anhui Province. It was built in the third year of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (849) by Pei Xiu, the governor of Xuanzhou. 🌈Construction of the twin towers: The twin towers were built in the third year of Shaosheng in the Northern Song Dynasty (1096) and are imitation wooden pavilion-style brick towers. 🌈Historical changes: Guangjiao Temple has been destroyed and rebuilt many times in history. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the temple was destroyed and only the twin towers remained. During the Anti-Japanese War, Guangjiao Temple was destroyed again, leaving only the twin towers. In 2004, Guangjiao Temple was rebuilt at a new site. ❤❤❤The twin towers face each other from east to west, 26.9 meters apart. They have the same shape, both have seven floors and a square plan. The bottom floor of the East Tower is 2.63 meters long from north to south and 2.62 meters long from east to west; the bottom floor of the West Tower is 2.35 meters long from north to south and 2.34 meters long from east to west. ❤❤❤The twin towers are imitation wooden pavilion-style brick towers. Most of the tower body is made of bricks, and the lower layer of the inner wall is placed with plate-like wooden frame layers every half a meter or so. Each side of the tower is divided into three rooms by columns, with a round arch in the middle and lattice windows on both sides. The rounded corner columns have rolled edges and side feet, and a flower-like pattern is set on the lintel, with a protruding protrusion. ❤❤❤The outer wall of the tower is sometimes built with bricks with Buddha statues, and four pairs of Buddha statues can still be seen on the fifth floor of the east tower. The tower eaves are made of brick and wood structure with ornate arches and the walls are decorated with precious flowers, presenting a solemn atmosphere unique to Buddhism. There are white reliefs on the base of the tower, and each floor is connected by floor slabs and wooden stairs. ❤❤❤The twin towers not only follow the square-plan tower-building style of the Tang Dynasty, but also have the architectural features of the Song Dynasty. They are the only surviving examples of ancient Song Dynasty towers in China.

| A case of imitation Tang architecture by Northern Song architects. The two towers are too thin and too far apart, so it's hard to find a place to take a photo with both towers, haha! ✓ [Northern Song Imitation Tang Tower] Address: East Gate of Jinting Mountain, Xuanzhou District, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province Opening hours: 8:00–11:30, 13:30–17:00 Tickets: Free Level: Third batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 1988 ✓ [Guangjiao Temple Twin Towers] Era: Northern Song Shaosheng 3rd year (1096) Style: Imitation Tang imitation wooden structure pavilion-style brick tower Height: East tower is 17.86 meters high, west tower is 17.87 meters high Number of floors: Four sides and seven floors, the two towers are 26.9 meters apart ✓ [Must-see highlights] ① Each side is divided into three rooms by round brick strips, with a round arched door in the middle, a lintel and corner pillars above, and a decorative arch eaves ② Inlaid with brick carvings of Buddha sitting on a lotus flower ③ More than 100 types of bricks ④ The inner walls of the second floor of the twin towers are inlaid with: one stone inscription each of the Northern Song Dynasty Su Shi's calligraphy of the "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Wishful Wheel Dharani Sutra" presented to the Guangjiao Temple ⑤ The stone carvings of the west tower are well preserved, while the stone carvings of the east tower are not only basically peeled off, but also the upper part is seriously tilted

The Guangjiao Temple Twin Pagodas are located in Guangjiao Temple, 600 meters northwest of the intersection of Yishui Road and Shuiyangjiang North Avenue in Xuanzhou District, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province. They are a pair of sister pagodas standing side by side, built during the Shaoxing period of the Northern Song Dynasty. They are Tang-style square pavilion-style seven-story brick pagodas. The two pagodas are 26.9 meters apart, the east pagoda is 17.86 meters high, and the west pagoda is 17.87 meters high. The four corners and four sides of the pagoda are divided into three rooms with cylindrical brick strips, with round arches in the middle, railings and corner pillars, and eaves with arches. The wall is inlaid with brick carvings of Buddha statues on the treasure seat. There are more than 100 types of bricks. The second floor of the twin pagodas is inlaid with a stone carving of the Northern Song Dynasty Su Shi's book "Guangjiao Temple Model Shangren's Observation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Wishful Wheel Tuo Luo Ni Sutra". Among them, the stone carvings of the West Pagoda are well preserved, and the stone carvings of the East Pagoda have basically peeled off. In 1988, it was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as a national key cultural relics protection unit. It is a window to display the long history and culture of Xuancheng Ticket information: Free Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-11:30 in the morning, 13:30-17:00 in the afternoon. Stop entering at 16:30. Traffic guide: You can take buses No. 1, 3, 6, 18, 22, and Y1 in Xuancheng City.