The rise and fall of natural towers

While Xu Jingye and others were building the pagoda, Buddhist laymen and monks in Donghu County asked Xu Jingye and others to build a temple next to the pagoda. After receiving permission, they built a temple next to the natural pagoda. The courtyard has a meditation hall, a vegetarian room, a monk's tongue, a reception room, many pavilions and pavilions, as well as gardens and grounds. It covers an area of ??more than 30 acres, of which only the pagoda, hall and ancillary buildings occupy an area of ??more than 10 acres. , named "Natural Tower Temple". The temple gate faces northeast and has a broad passage nearly 10 meters wide and more than 30 meters long. There are various trees such as pines, cypresses and camphor trees planted on both sides of the passage, and various flowers are planted in the garden inside the courtyard.

Mingpei Mingpei, who was the magistrate of Donghu County in the Qing Dynasty at that time, said: "The pagoda was completed in the early summer of Yue Kwai Chou... and beside it, the temple was as solemn as the Buddha's seat in the Zen hall, and the pavilions, pavilions, flowers and trees were magnificent. , everyone who comes to climb it is called a scenic spot."

Since its completion, the natural tower has become an important historical site and tourist attraction in Yichang. In addition, the natural tower is also an important ancient navigation mark of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. At night, there is a guiding light for sailing ships on the seventh floor. A citizen who is familiar with the Natural Pagoda told reporters that the location where the Natural Pagoda was built is very unique. You can see the pagoda whether you are taking a boat upstream or downstream. However, on the eve of liberation, the Natural Tower was destroyed by the Japanese army and the Kuomintang and gradually declined. In 1940, after the fall of Yichang, the natural pagoda temple and its gardens were severely damaged by the Japanese army. By the time Yichang was restored in 1945, there were two remaining temples with a building area of ??about 500 square meters and more than 20 acres of farmland, which were farmed and managed by monks from the Yichang Buddhist Association.

In 1947, the military sect of the Kuomintang occupied part of the temple and used the ground as a training ground, destroying trees and flowers at will. Moreover, because the presiding monk smoked opium and was lazy in work and management, the tourists of the natural pagoda became nervous. Decrease until it declines.

On the eve of liberation, the temple at the natural pagoda was destroyed by monks and turned into ruins. The countryside was deserted and overgrown with weeds, presenting a desolate scene. Only the natural pagoda still stood on the bank of the Yangtze River, safe and sound. A citizen who has lived near the Natural Tower for a long time told reporters that in the 1950s and 1960s, he and his childhood playmates often came to the "Pagoda" to play when he was young. At that time, you could still see many various kinds of decorations on the base of the tower. There is an image of a stone Arhat carrying a "pagoda" on his back, and there is a bronze figure on the top of the tower. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, these precious cultural relics were destroyed.