There is an ancient pagoda in Nanning that was built in the Ming Dynasty. There are different opinions on the reasons for its construction. It has been verified to be the first pagoda in Guangxi.
If every city has a most representative mountain, then Nanning must be Qingxiu Mountain, because it is not only a national AAAAA tourist attraction, but also has convenient transportation, low entrance fees, and the scenery inside is also extremely Rich; if every city has to choose the most representative ancient pagoda, then Nanning must be the Dragon Elephant Pagoda on Qingxiu Mountain.
The Dragon Elephant Tower is different from modern buildings such as Guangzhou Xiaomanyao and Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower because it is an ancient tower built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. Its status in Nanning is a bit like the Leifeng Tower in Hangzhou Like the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, it can be said to have a strong urban symbol.
Dragon Elephant Pagoda, also known as Qingshan Pagoda, is the symbol of Qingxiu Mountain. It is located on the top of Qingxiu Mountain. It was built by Xiao Quju, a Jinshi of Nanning and the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The name is taken from The Buddhist scriptures mean that "dragons traveling on water are powerful, and elephants traveling on land are powerful". It is 204 meters above sea level, more than ten feet high, with an octagonal and nine-story brick structure with double eaves.
As for the origin of the Dragon Elephant Tower, local friends introduced it this way. It is said that after Xiao Yun became a Jinshi in high school, a Feng Shui master told him that it was because its ancestral tomb was buried in the Feng Shui treasure land of Phoenix Play Peony. At the same time, Mr. Feng Shui also said that the phoenix can fly. If the Xiao family wants their descendants to be high officials from generation to generation, they must try to keep the phoenix. To keep the phoenix, it must suppress its wings. So Xiao Yunju believed what Mr. Feng Shui said, so he funded the construction of the Dragon Elephant Pagoda on the top of Fengchi Ridge in Qingxiu Mountain, in an attempt to use the pagoda to suppress the wings of the Phoenix.
Of course, this is not the only legend. There are many similar legends. For example, another version is like this: At that time, officials and wealthy people were superstitious about Feng Shui. Pagodas must be built to block the water mouths of rivers, thinking that only in this way can financial resources be prevented from flowing out, and the state and county can prosper. So Nanning at that time built the Dragon Elephant Tower on the bank of the Yongjiang River.
Although the Dragon Elephant Pagoda was built in the Ming Dynasty, the pagoda we see now was rebuilt later because in August 1937, the local government was worried that the existence of this tower would attract the attention of the Japanese. , set Nanning as a bombing target, so ordered the demolition of the three towers.
The Dragon Elephant Tower we see now was actually rebuilt in the 1980s. The height of the new tower is 52.35 meters, the diameter of the base is 12 meters, it has nine octagonal floors and green glazed tiles. There are 207 spiral staircases inside to reach the top of the tower. There are 72 copper bells hanging under the eaves of each floor. It is said to be the first in Guangxi. A tall tower.
Across the river from the Dragon Elephant Tower is the new district of Nanning, with tall buildings, busy traffic, and a bustling scene. If the Dragon Elephant Tower represents Nanning’s past, then the new district opposite represents Nanning’s future. , facing each other across the river, form a sharp contrast and an incomparable harmony, forming a beautiful urban landscape.