27 Aug 2026 - NKG Day 7: Foding Tower (佛顶塔)

Foding Tower (佛顶塔), also referred to as the Usnisa Pagoda, stood proudly as the most iconic vertical landmark of the Niushoushan Cultural Tourism Zone. Erected on the western peak of Ox Head Mountain, this architectural masterpiece stood exactly 88 metres tall and covered a gross floor area of 5,065 square meters. It served as a striking visual anchor that directly balanced the futuristic, sweeping curves of the adjacent Foding Palace.

Unlike the avant-garde, space-age design of the Foding Palace, Foding Tower looked backward to the golden age of Chinese Buddhist culture, built strictly in the classic Tang dynasty style.  It is a traditional four-sided, nine-story square pavilion structure. Tang architecture is defined by its bold, simple, and stately proportions, opting for grand strength over the highly intricate, delicate carvings of later eras.

Jerlene and I decided to take up the challenge of scaling to the topmost level of the tower. We were extremely exhausted by the time we climbed to the 8th and 9th floors. Suspended at the center of the eighth level was a colossal, solid bronze-cast Foding Vajra Bell. The external body of the bell was intricately hand-engraved with the entire text of the Diamond Sutra. For locals, this floor acted as the primary ringing platform for the city's annual Chinese New Year blessing rituals.

The 9th Floor, which is the crowning apex of the pagoda, holds the majestic Tathagata Hall. At its absolute center is an exquisitely crafted seated statue of Vairocana Buddha. Both 8th and 9th floors do not have exterior terraces.

After a short rest, we descended to the 7th floor where we could walk out to the grand exterior terrace to have a spectacular, 360-degree panoramic views that beautifully knits together Nanjing's rolling mountain geography and its jaw-dropping religious architecture. The surrounding valleys unfolded into endless waves of lush green bamboo forests and deep pine groves that changed drastically with the seasons.

Standing on the modern Foding Tower, we could look straight across the valley to see the Hongjue Temple Pagoda (弘觉寺塔) standing silently on the eastern peak. Seeing the ancient, weathered brick of the 40-meter Tang/Ming-era pagoda on one side and the polished, gleaming 88-meter modern tower on our side brought the historical "Twin Peaks" vision of Niushoushan to life.

The most striking view from the tower was looking down at the adjacent Foding Palace. From this height, we could appreciate the true scale of the palace’s massive golden mesh dome (the Cassock) and the smaller scalloped dome (the Hair Bun). The architecture transformed into a giant, living mandala etched seamlessly into the mountain landscape.

We spent around 4 hours visiting these few key attractions on Niushoushan.

We then took the mini train back to the West Gate and took a Didi car ride back to our hotel for a short rest.

Before that, we had some noodles and dumpling at a nearby eatery.

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