Hóngtóng

Hongtong lies in the Fen River valley beneath Mount Huo. On its slopes stands Guangsheng Temple, a complex of Buddhist halls overlooking the springs below. Beside the lower temple, a shrine to the water god contains vivid Yuan paintings of rainfall, worship and a theatrical performance. The spring was precious to the neighbouring counties, whose fields depended on its waters. The upper temple's most conspicuous building is the thirteen-storey Feihong Pagoda. The monk Dalian began its construction in 1515, and it was completed in 1527. Its brick core is covered in coloured glazed ornaments, giving the tower its name, the Flying Rainbow. A covered gallery was added around its base in the seventeenth century.