Jinan Simen Pagoda: China's first stone pagoda and a filming location for Black Myth: Wukong.

😎Hey guys, today I'm going to share a special ancient building with you—Jinan Simen Pagoda, which is also a filming location for Black Myth: Wukong in Jinan! 🌟Simen Pagoda is located 4 km northeast of Liubu Town, Licheng District, Jinan City, Shandong Province. It is the earliest single-story pavilion-style stone pagoda in China! It is square-shaped, with arched doors on all four sides, a total height of 15.04 meters, and a width of 7.4 meters on each side. It is built with grayish-blue stone, giving it a strong sense of history.💕 🌟Simen Pagoda originally belonged to Shentong Temple, which was quite impressive. It was built in the first year of the reign of Emperor Qin (351 AD) and is the earliest temple in Shandong Province. However, the temple was burned down in a fire in the late Qing Dynasty, leaving only the Buddhist relics of Simen Pagoda. Simen Pagoda itself was built in the 7th year of the Sui Dynasty (611 AD). Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin both came to survey it and included it in the History of Chinese Architecture.👏 Architectural Beauty The structure is very ingenious, with a large stone pillar in the center of the pagoda, stone Buddha statues on all four sides of the pillar, and a corridor around the pillar. The eaves of the pagoda are made of five layers of stone strips, with a concave outline. The pagoda's finial consists of a Sumeru pedestal, "banana leaves," an inverted bowl, five-tiered wheels, and a jewel, all carved from stone. Its unique style, with concave eaves and curved roofs, gives the sturdy stone pagoda a sense of softness. The small pagoda doors show a true sense of scale, and the pagoda's finial adds interest.😜 Precious Relics There are Buddha statues inside. Originally, each side of the central pillar had a main Buddha statue, along with bodhisattvas and disciples on either side. Now, only the main Buddha statues remain on each side. The Buddha statues' shapes and robes are very distinctive. There is also a stone reliquary discovered in 1973, containing crystal beads, glass beads, small bottles, and "five-zhu" copper coins from Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty.🧐 Legends and Stories The "Nine-Top Pine" in front of the door has a story. It is said that Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, made a wish upon seeing it, and later became emperor.🤴 Highest Honors It is the only surviving Sui Dynasty stone pagoda in China, the first place in New China to discover relics, and one of the first national key cultural relics protection units in China. It is praised as the "First Pagoda of China," and many architects have given it high praise!👍 Visitor Information ⌚Opening hours: 7:30–17:30 🎫Tickets: Adult 26💰 🌟Location: No. 55, Sujia Village, Liubu Town, Licheng District, Jinan City 🚗Self-driving: About 1 hour from the city center to the scenic area 🚌Public transportation: Bus 67/812/815 to Simen Pagoda Station