PLACE GUIDE

Huzhu Pagoda 护珠塔

Huzhu Ta

Huzhu Pagoda stands on Tianmashan in Songjiang.

Huzhu Pagoda in Songjiang, Shanghai · 上海松江护珠塔
Huzhu Pagoda in Songjiang, Shanghai · 上海松江护珠塔 Photograph date recorded by the source: 12 June 2015, 14:06:34. · Narjuko · Narjuko — Huzhu_Pagoda,_Shanghai.jpg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.

City & district guides

Songjiang District · 松江区 →

About Huzhu Pagoda

Built in 1079 during the Northern Song period, it survives from a Buddhist complex that was damaged by successive fires.

The pagoda has an octagonal form and seven levels. Its pronounced lean is the feature most visitors notice, but the remaining structure also tells a longer story of construction, damage and preservation. View it from the designated public area and do not treat the tilt as a reason to approach restricted masonry or climb the monument.

In 1157, during the Southern Song dynasty, sarira relics bestowed by Emperor Gaozong (宋高宗) were placed inside the pagoda, giving it the alternative name Huzhu Baoguang Pagoda (护珠宝光塔). In 1788, during the Qianlong era (乾隆), a fire caused by fireworks set off during a ceremony at the neighbouring Yuanzhi Temple (圆智教寺) burned away all the pagoda's wooden elements, leaving only the brick body. Afterwards, people dug bricks out of the base to retrieve coins hidden in the joints, eventually destroying a corner of the foundation and removing a third of its base stones, which caused the tower to lean, giving it the alternative name Songjiang Leaning Tower (松江斜塔).

The pagoda was listed as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Heritage Site (上海市文物保护单位) in 1983 and repaired between 1984 and 1987, though the repair did not straighten it. A 1982 survey had measured the tilt at 6°52′ to the south, with the tower's centre displaced 2.27 meters, already surpassing the Leaning Tower of Pisa; by 2015 the tilt had increased to 7.10 degrees. Standing on the north side of Yuanzhi Temple at the middle peak of Tianmashan (天马山), the pagoda has lost its finial, leaving a present height of 18.81 meters.

What to look for

  • The seven-level, octagonal tower preserves a Northern Song pagoda form.
  • The pronounced lean makes the relationship between structure and ground especially visible.

Location & getting there

Getting to Huzhu Pagoda

Approach the Tianmashan scenic area in Songjiang and follow the designated route to Huzhu Pagoda.

General visit reminders

Choose the building, exhibition or part of the historic area you most want to see, then leave time to explore its setting. Check the venue’s current opening and reservation arrangements directly; a place appearing on the map does not mean every building or gallery is accessible on your travel date.

Combine your visit

A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.

  1. Tianmashan approach

    Place the pagoda within its hill setting.

  2. Designated pagoda viewing area

    Examine the octagonal form and lean from the permitted viewpoint.

This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.

Historic sites & architecture · 历史古迹／建筑 →

Find Huzhu Pagoda

护珠塔 · 松江区

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

Chenshan Botanical Garden辰山植物园

3 km away

Chenshan Botanical Garden occupies a broad landscape in Sheshan, Songjiang. Its botanical collections are organized into themed gardens and greenhouse displays, with conservation areas forming another part of the site.

View guide →

Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park广富林文化遗址

5 km away

Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park is in northern Songjiang, Shanghai. The archaeological heritage is central to the district’s presentation of Shanghai’s early history. The visitor site began trial operation in June 2018 and…

View guide →

Sheshan佘山

5 km away

Sheshan consists of wooded eastern and western hills in Songjiang. The western hill combines a Catholic pilgrimage landscape with the historic observatory.

View guide →

Sources & visit information

The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Huzhu Pagoda” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1368259768.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors, listing “Huzhu Pagoda” · CC BY-SA 4.0.

Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "护珠塔", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92379157.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-10-07