Wuying Pagoda

The origin of Wuying Pagoda stretches back to the later part of the Northern and Southern dynasties period, it having been built during the reign of Emperor Yuan of Liang as part of the Jin'an Temple (晋安寺). Subsequently, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, the temple was renamed Xingfu Temple (興福寺/兴福寺). The pagoda then derived its name from its connection to this temple.

The original pagoda having been destroyed at some earlier time, it was rebuilt in 1270 (咸淳六年) in the throes of the overthrow of the Southern Song during the reign of Emperor Duzong.[4] The pagoda bears inscriptions dating from the period.[2] The pagoda was designed to incorporate Buddhist iconography through various symbolic features and figures[5] including images of Buddha, bodhisattvas, heavenly kings and celestial guards. While of solid stone construction, it is modeled upon multi-storeyed wooden pagodas.[2] Some of the original artistry has been damaged.

Xingfu Temple was left in ruins in the 19th century, victim of the Taiping Rebellion. In 1953, Wuying Pagoda was located in a courtyard next to a kitchen in a residential area[4] to the east of Mount Hong within the grounds of South Central University for Nationalities, and was tilting severely. On November 15, 1956, the pagoda was among the first 101 locations in Hubei province declared a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the Provincial Level. In the winter of 1962/1963, it was moved to its current site at the western foot of Mount Hong adjoining a new tomb for Shi Yang that was erected in Hongshan Park by the local Ministry of Culture.[6]

The pagoda has eight sides and seven storeys, with four of the storeys including carvings of Buddhist figures carved in small niches.[7] It is 11.25 meters tall, with a diameter of 4.25 meters at the "Sumeru Throne" (須彌座 xūmízuò) style base.[2][3]

On December 18, 2001, the Cultural Department of Wuchang completed repairs to the pagoda. In the seventh listing of major historical sites in China published on March 5, 2013, the pagoda was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level from the Song Dynasty, with historical site number 7-1213-3-511.[1]

According to one tradition, there is a 'dragon vein' (江南龙脉) under the mountains in this area, including Mount She (Snake Mountain). The head of the dragon is said to be beneath the Yellow Crane Tower and the area beneath Wuying Pagoda the tail of the dragon.[3] The pagoda was built to block the dragon vein.[6] According to another, related in the Annals of Huguang Province (湖广通志), it was built on a vein of water which was connected to the Yangtze River.[6]

There are multiple and varied claims made about the pagoda's lack of a shadow. The claim is made that the pagoda casts no shadow at noon on the summer solstice,[2][8] or at noon on the winter solstice.[6] More sensationally, the claim is made that the pagoda never casts a shadow.[6] An explanation given for the modern appearance of a shadow is the change in the pagoda's location.[3][9] The name is often used as the focus of puns and other jokes.[4][3]