Baoding Trip: Daci Pavilion

I have been to Baoding many times before, but this was my first visit to Daci Pavilion! The architecture of Daci Pavilion is full of history and serves as a landmark and symbol of Baoding's ancient buildings. Known by the beautiful name "City Pavilion Piercing the Clouds," it ranks first among the "Eight Sights of Shanggu," leading to the saying, "If you haven't been to Daci Pavilion, you haven't really been to Baoding." Originally named Dabei Pavilion, Daci Pavilion is located at No. 57 Chuanchilou North Street, Lianchi District, Baoding City, Hebei Province. Built in 1227 (the 22nd year of the reign of Genghis Khan) by Zhang Rou, the Duke of Cai during the Yuan Dynasty, it is a complex of temple buildings named after its main structure, Daci Pavilion. As one of the Eight Sights of Shanggu, the pavilion faces south. Its mountain gate features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, with the inscription "Zhenjue Zen Temple" on the lintel. Behind the Hall of Heavenly Kings, there is a Bell Tower to the east and a Drum Tower to the west. The main building, Daci Pavilion, features a hip-and-gable roof with clay tiles, standing tall with three levels of overlapping eaves. The ground floor is 5 bays wide and 2 bays deep. Inside the pavilion stands a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, majestic and serene, with 42 arms holding various ritual implements such as a vase, sword, staff, mirror, and whisk. The murals on the east and west walls depict the Eighteen Arhats and stories from Buddhist scriptures. There are stairs inside the pavilion leading to the second and third floors. The total height is about 25 meters. Wind bells hang under the corner rafters, ringing when the wind blows, and crouching beasts are placed on the roof ridges. Poets of the past have praised Daci Pavilion with lines such as: "The Liaohai Sea is visible in the distance, and Yao Mountain lies hidden horizontally," "Who built this pavilion reaching the void on the thoroughfare, leaving a magnificent sight for the residents," "Looking at the pearl tower of the Yan market from the treetops, the golden pavilion of the Jetavana garden is in the blue clouds," and "Untainted by Bodhi outside the clouds, practicing compassion suspended in the city." In short, Baoding's Daci Pavilion is one of the landmarks worth visiting!