The Longevity Pagoda in Longevity Garden

Longevity Garden is located at the Kwan-yin Water Rock from the Southern Song Dynasty in Jingjiang River Levee, Shashi, Jingzhou in Hubei Province. It is the state’s key protected cultural unit, combining the functions of cultural heritage sightseeing and Yangtze River’s flood prevention. The Longevity Pagoda inside the garden was built in 1552 during the Ming Dynasty for honoring and celebrating the birthday of Ming’s Jiajing Emperor. It is height about 40 meters with seven levels, 20 meters higher than the Jingjiang River Levee. During its 450 years’ history, the riverbed of the Jingjiang River has been elevating by 7 meters, the bank was also heightened, and therefore, the pagoda was immersed under the bank. The whole pagoda looks like a giant coming from the earth crust. By the side of the pagoda, it still has 87 Han jade Buddhist statues and 102 stone tablets. There are about 2,300 pieces of brick carved with bas-relief of animal and flower images, as well as characters in Han Chinese, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian and Hui languages. 

Longevity Garden covers more than 16,000 square meters, and the overall architectural style is following that of Ming Dynasty. It consists of Reception Hall, Nine Dragons Wall, Long Corridor, Pavilion for Watching the River and Kwan-yin Kiosk and so on, with about 10,000 trees, including gingko, winter sweet, pomegranate and osmanthus etc. 

Magnificent architecture from the Ming Dynasty

The Kwan-yin Water Rock is like a river dam in Jingjiang River. It prevent the flood water comes to the plain area in Jianghan (Hubei Province). Today, it left the historical height scores of Yangtze River’s water level in 1998 and the all time high in Jingjiang River in 1954. In memory of the serious flood of Yangtze River in 1998 and the braveness of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in rescuing the masses, the Fighting Flood 1998 Pavilion is built near to The Kwan-yin Water Rock.