□ 文、圖/本刊記者 楊艷

塔子山百年古塔的老龍門陣

□ 文、圖/本刊記者 楊艷

古城重慶，修建了不少寶塔，通遠(yuǎn)門附近有菩堤金剛塔；黃桷埡的文峰山之巔有文峰塔；鵝嶺山上有瞰勝樓；磁器口寶輪寺內(nèi)有古塔；照母山上有覽星塔……據(jù)統(tǒng)計(jì)，重慶現(xiàn)存塔樓2 0 0余座，修建時(shí)間跨度從南宋至民國，這些古塔各具風(fēng)姿，如群星點(diǎn)綴在喧鬧都市或山巔峰頂，氣勢壯觀。每座塔的背后總有一段故事，本期就來說說江北塔子山上百年古塔的龍門陣。

尋古問幽塔子山

江北區(qū)寸灘溉瀾溪長江邊的塔子山上，有一座磚石結(jié)構(gòu)的文峰塔，屹立于此至今已百余年。隨著塔子山公園景觀工程的開工，塔子山文峰塔修繕工程也即將啟動(dòng)。記者從江北區(qū)文管所獲悉，這座于2000年被列為重慶市文物保護(hù)單位的文峰塔預(yù)計(jì)于今年9月動(dòng)工，明年5月完工，屆時(shí)，古塔將對(duì)外開放，成為重慶人又一個(gè)登高望遠(yuǎn)的好去處。

江北區(qū)北濱一路有一道掩映在密林中的石梯可以直達(dá)塔子山，記者沿著蜿蜒的石梯拾級(jí)向上，穿過郁郁蔥蔥的樹林，不久便來到塔子山文峰塔前。這座塔別名白塔，建于1888年，塔高約26米，距離江邊約200米，坐北向南，七級(jí)樓閣式設(shè)計(jì)，底層用條石砌成，塔身用青磚砌成，塔頂為六角攢尖頂，塔身呈六邊形，每一層各有一扇小窗，呈螺旋式布局于塔身。

文峰塔，寓意文運(yùn)昌盛，歷經(jīng)百年光陰，依舊氣質(zhì)雅致，古韻猶存。據(jù)江北區(qū)文管所工作人員劉曉梅介紹，文峰塔的塔磚為修建者專制的塔磚，每匹磚燒制有“文峰塔”“戊子歲”字樣，塔門額上有“題名勝跡”字樣目前還清晰可見。門內(nèi)券頂刻有“大清光緒十四年戊子歲孟夏吉旦”“三里士民東恭建”等字，在最高的7層塔頂匾額上刻有“能默厚德”4個(gè)大字。文峰塔石壁上刻有《重修文峰塔記》的碑文，記載了這座塔的修建沿革及原因。據(jù)記載，塔子山文峰塔是在百年前的廢塔基上重新修建的，最早由何人修建，語焉不詳。

① 文峰塔同正在修建的塔子山公園項(xiàng)目形成有機(jī)的整體。② 站在塔前，朝天門大橋、“朝天場帆”、重慶大劇院盡收眼底。

③ 文峰塔的塔磚為修建者專制的塔磚，每匹磚燒制有“文峰塔”“戊子歲”字樣。

1986年，江北區(qū)人民政府公布文峰塔為區(qū)級(jí)文物保護(hù)單位，1996年10月30日被定為重慶市文物保護(hù)單位，2000年9月7日被審定為重慶直轄市文物保護(hù)單位。1999年江北文管所對(duì)文峰塔進(jìn)行了一次基礎(chǔ)加固和外觀修繕的工作，塔內(nèi)原來每層鋪有樓板，沿梯而上可達(dá)塔頂，時(shí)隔多年，樓桴、地板都已損毀，外部表面和部分題刻皆成齏粉，字跡早已模糊不清。

① 塔門額上刻有“題名勝跡”字樣。

② 2 0 0 0年文峰塔被審定為重慶市文物保護(hù)單位。

三塔不見面 共守重慶城

重慶諺語曰：“三塔不見面，九子不出沱?！笔顷P(guān)于“三塔”的傳說，此三塔指江北塔子山文峰塔、南岸黃桷埡文峰塔、下浩蓮花山林中的覺林寺報(bào)恩塔。其中，江北塔子山的白塔與南岸黃桷埡的白塔同為文峰塔，于是也被稱為“兄弟塔”。

所謂“三塔不見面”，是指在任何一座塔上，無法看到另外兩座塔。傳說，清朝年間，在溉瀾溪江邊出現(xiàn)一條作惡多端的孽龍，時(shí)常興風(fēng)作浪，盤踞在朝天門一帶，令船只無法通行，從湖廣一帶船運(yùn)上來的物資無法運(yùn)達(dá)，需要遠(yuǎn)行的人也無法乘船出去，嚴(yán)重?cái)_亂了老百姓的出行。于是，一名云游四海的道士到此“降龍”。

原來這條孽龍是由草繩修煉成精而化為龍形，為了牢牢鎮(zhèn)壓住這條孽龍，當(dāng)?shù)厝嗽诘朗康闹更c(diǎn)下修建了這三座塔，分別鎮(zhèn)壓龍頭、龍身、龍尾，塔子山下所鎮(zhèn)的就是龍頭。為了防止孽龍復(fù)活，這三座寶塔各處一方，永遠(yuǎn)看不見對(duì)方。傳說，若是任兩座塔能互相對(duì)望，這條孽龍將復(fù)活，重慶城將江水猛漲，汛澇成災(zāi)，百姓將受苦受難。

③ 文峰塔屹立于塔子山已有百余年。④ 塔前可俯看溉瀾溪新貌。

⑤ 北濱一路有一道石梯可直達(dá)塔子山。

然而，民間對(duì)于傳說中的三塔還有另一種說法?！吨袊钦乒蕝矔防锾岬健叭灰娒妗敝傅氖悄习毒硟?nèi)的三座寶塔：文峰塔、報(bào)恩塔、下浩卵石塔。卵石塔早在清朝時(shí)立于龍門浩的石梁上，現(xiàn)在已被江水淹沒。究竟哪個(gè)傳說為真？難以證實(shí)，卻耐人尋味?！皞髡f讓這座文峰塔披上一層神秘面紗，表達(dá)了重慶人對(duì)和諧生活的寄予，這么多年來，這座白塔已成為重慶獨(dú)特的人文風(fēng)貌。”劉曉梅說，塔子山文峰塔具有重要的文物價(jià)值。

一盞行船航標(biāo) 一段墨寶

古塔屬這個(gè)城市難得的文化遺產(chǎn)，蘊(yùn)藏著豐富的文化底蘊(yùn)。百年文峰塔，不僅是這座城市的人文景觀，實(shí)際上其背后還具有一定的實(shí)用價(jià)值。

“從前，行船走水路的船幫們只要在船上望見長江北岸塔子山上的這座高聳挺拔的白塔，便知曉重慶城到了?！眲悦氛f。位于長江朝天門下游北岸的文峰塔，與江面的距離約200米，處于較顯眼的高位，又因地處水陸交通要沖，于是曾作為行船的標(biāo)志。但凡乘船來重慶，看到白塔就意味著重慶已是一箭之遙，朝天門也遙遙在望。

當(dāng)年山上芳草萋萋，山下江水汩汩，白塔在江邊矗立百年，臨風(fēng)而立，頗有一番文雅的嫻靜，成為這方圓百里的一道亮麗的風(fēng)景線，也曾吸引不少文人墨客登臨攬勝。

《江北廳志》中有記載，清代詩人程衡就曾于此寫下《溉瀾溪訪友》一詩：

“果然此地絕風(fēng)塵，幾欲相求已暮春。竹里遺蓀搖風(fēng)尾，溪水小浪織龍鱗。到來恰見如珪月，坐久渾忘賣藥人。卻知當(dāng)年杜陵老，寒山無伴語津津?！?/p>

期待重新煥發(fā)舊日光彩

由于年久失修，以及文峰塔建筑材料自身的缺陷，自然破壞等原因，文峰塔的外墻墻體略有破損，塔內(nèi)的樓梯樓板也蕩然無存。塔門被封多年，將隨修繕工作的展開而被重新開啟。

據(jù)劉曉梅透露，文峰塔的修繕保護(hù)工程根據(jù)江北區(qū)文化委提出的“三個(gè)一批”—保護(hù)一批、修繕一批、利用一批的思路，將進(jìn)行內(nèi)部結(jié)構(gòu)的恢復(fù)、外部的修繕以及亮化工程。以“不改變文物原狀”為原則，盡可能地利用原有材料，保存原有的構(gòu)件，使用原有的工藝對(duì)其進(jìn)行修繕保護(hù)，并對(duì)塔內(nèi)的木樓梯進(jìn)行修繕復(fù)原。對(duì)古塔外墻的修繕將對(duì)空鼓、脫落的部分進(jìn)行修復(fù)，并進(jìn)行做舊處理。修繕工作比上一次修繕工作將更加細(xì)致。

此外，塔子山公園目前已進(jìn)入施工建設(shè)階段，建設(shè)項(xiàng)目包括景觀舞臺(tái)、登山步道等，整體工程預(yù)計(jì)今年年底竣工。文峰塔將同正在進(jìn)行修建的塔子山公園項(xiàng)目形成有機(jī)的整體，屆時(shí)，古塔重新煥發(fā)舊日光彩，古風(fēng)古貌得以延續(xù)。

記者站在塔前遠(yuǎn)眺，視野無比開闊，位于長江、嘉陵江匯合處的重慶大劇院、“朝天揚(yáng)帆”盡收眼底，南岸彈子石一帶高高低低的建筑拔地而起，左右兩座氣勢如虹的大橋—大佛寺大橋與朝天門大橋相映生輝……待塔修繕完畢后，登上塔頂，俯觀兩江勝景，景色將更加恢弘。

A lot of ancient pagodas were built in Chongqing, also an ancient city, including the Bodhi King Kong Pagoda near the Tongyuan Gate; Wenfeng Padoda on the top of the Wenfeng Mountain in Huangjueya; Kansheng Tower on the Eling Mountain; the ancient pagoda in the Baolun Temple in Ciqikou; Lanxing Pagoda on the Zhaomu Mountain... According to the statistics, there are more than 200 existing pagodas in Chongqing with a construction time ranging from the Southern Song Dynasty to the Republic of China. Those magni fi cent ancient pagodas with their own unique charm intersperse among the noisy city or on the top of mountains like stars in the sky. As each pagoda has a story to tell, this issue is going to talk about the old stories of centuries-old pagoda on the Tazi Mountain in Jiangbei District.

Seek the historic site and a refined place on the Tazi Mountain

The Wenfeng Pagoda made of bricks and stones stands on the Tazi Mountain beside the Yangtze River in Kailanxi, Cuntan, Jiangbei District for more than a hundred years. With the start of the landscape project of Tazishan Park, the renovation work of Wenfeng Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain will also be launched. Our journalist had learned from the Agency for the Protection of Cultural Relics that Wenfeng Pagoda, listed as a historical and cultural site under government protection in Chongqing in 2000, will be renovated in September this year. Since the renovation work will be fi nished in May 2018, the opening of Wenfeng Tower will become another good choice for Chongqing people to climb mountain and enjoy a distant view.

There is a stone staircase hidden in the jungle to the Tazi Mountainon Beibin Rd., 1st, Jiangbei District. Our journalist climbed along the winding stone staircase and reached to the Wenfeng Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain after walking through the wild profusion of woods. This pagoda, also named White Pagoda, was built in 1888. It is about 26 meters high and 200 meters from the river. Sitting to the south, this 7-floor pagoda is of pavilion style and the bottom was built by stones and body by black bricks. Its top is shaped into hexagonal pavilion roof and body into hexagon. With one window on each layer, the body is decorated by those window spirally.

Wenfeng Pagoda with its name meaning the fl ourishing literature has gone through more than one hundred years and is still of elegant temperament and archaic charm. According to the introduction of Liu Xiaomei, an employee of the Agency for the Protection of Cultural Relics, the bricks of Wenfeng Pagoda were speciallymade by the then constructor. Each piece is fi red the characters meaning “Wenfeng Pagoda”, “Wu Zi Sui”(25th year of the Sexagenary Cycle). The horizontal inscribed board over the door of pagoda is written the“Cultural Site”, which is now still visible. The inside of the door is engraved with “大清光緒十四年戊子歲孟夏吉旦”(which means the year of 1834), “三里士民東恭建” and etc. The inscribed board on the top of the 7- fl oor pagoda is inscribed with four Chinese characters which mean “ability, silence, honest, kindness”. The inscription of the rebuilding of Wenfeng Pagoda carving on the stone wall had recorded the constructing evolution and reasons of this pagoda. According to the records, Wenfeng Pagoda was rebuilt on the foundation of an obsolete pagoda about one hundred years ago and the constructor of this obsolete pagoda was barely mentioned.

The People’s Government of Jiangbei District announced that Wenfeng Pagoda was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in the district level in 1986, the cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing in the city level on March 19, 1992, and the cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality on September 7, 2000. In 1999, the Agency for the Protection of Cultural Relics of Jiangbei District had conducted the work of foundation reinforcement and renovation to the Wenfeng Pagoda. The each layer of the original pagoda was paved with wooden fl oor and the ladder could reach to the top. After many years, the floors were all damaged. Since the external surface and the inscriptions were all into pieces, the writing was blurred and invisibility.

Three pagodas defend the city of Chongqing separately

An old saying of Chongqing goes, “Three pagodas defend the city of Chongqing separately, nine sons will not sail out of the inlet.” The legend of “three pagodas” mainly implies the Wenfeng Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain in Jiangbei District, Wenfeng Pagoda in Huangjueya in Nan’an District and Bao’en Pagoda of Juelin Temple in the Lotus Forest in Xiahao Street. Among which, since the White Pagodas both in Jiangbei District and Nan’an District are named Wenfeng Pagoda, they are also known as “brother pagoda”.

The so-called “separately” means that people cannot see another two pagodas from any of the pagodas. It is said that an evil dragon appearing beside the Kailanxi River made a lot of troubles. As the dragon raised winds and waves around the waters of Chaotianmen that ships couldn’t pass through it. So did the materials shipping by the boats from Hu’nan and Hubei. People who had to set out for a long journey couldn’t take the ship. Thus the evil dragon had seriously disturbed people’s travel. Therefore, a traveling Taoist priest came to this place to beat the dragon.

It turned out that the evil dragon was practiced from a rope. In order to firmly suppress the evil dragon, the local people built the three pagodas under the guidance of the Taoist priest to separately suppress the head, body and tail. The Wenfeng Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain was built to sti fl e the head of the dragon. Just in case of the resurrection of the evil dragon, three pagodas were built separately and could never see each other. It is said that if any two of them could see each other, this dragon will rise to raise the water and cause the flood and people in Chongqing will suffer from those disasters.

However, there is another saying of “three pagodas”among the people. The Series of Anecdotes of Famous Cities in China has mentioned that “three pagodas”refers to the three pagodas in Nan’an District including Wenfeng Pagoda, Bao’en Pagoda and Luanshi Pagoda in Xiahao Street. Luanshi Pagoda was built in the Qing Dynasty on the stone bridge of Longmenhao and was fl ooded by the river. Today it is hard to prove which one is true, but the stories are intriguing. “The Wenfeng Pagoda was covered with a mysterious layer by those legends. But they all express people’s hope for a harmonious life. The Wenfeng Pagoda has become a unique cultural landscape in Chongqing for so many years.” Liu Xiaomei said, “Wenfeng Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain is a cultural relic with an important value.”

A navigation mark and a value piece of calligraphy

The ancient pagoda with a rich cultural background is a rare cultural heritage in this city. The centuries-old Wenfeng Pagoda is not only the humanity landscape in this city, but also of a certain practical value.

“Once upon a time, once the boaters had saw the towering White Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain on the north shore of the Yangtze River, they would know that city of Chongqing was not far.” Liu Xiaomei said. As Wenfeng Pagoda is located on the north shore of the downstream of Yangtze River around Chaotianmenand 200 meters from the river, the prominent high location made it a navigation mark for the boats. Whenever a ship comes to Chongqing, to see the White Pagoda means that Chongqing is within a stone’s throw and Chaotianmen is not far.

At that time, the grass on the mountain was luxuriant and the water beneath the mountain was gurgling. The White Pagoda stood beside the river for hundreds of years against the wind. What a gentle and quiet picture! This pagoda had become into a beautiful scenery nearby and thus attracted many writers and poets.

The Annuals of Jiangbei had recorded that Cheng Heng, a poet in Qing Dynasty had written a poem at this place named “Visit Friend in Kailanxi”:

“Indeed this place is secluded from the secular matters and it is late spring when I fi nally visit this place. The aromatic plant in the bamboo forest is still swinging itself and the little waves of the brook seems like the dragon scales. When I arrived here, the moon was high in the sky; Sitting for a long time that I even forgot the drug seller. But I know that when Du Fu was old, he was alone in the mountain but still enjoyed himself.”

Looking forward to the glory of the past

Due to the disrepair as well as the shortcomings of the building materials of Wenfeng Pagoda and natural damage, Wenfeng Pagoda’s exterior wall was slightly damaged while the wooden floor of the staircase is also gone. As the pagoda is sealed for many years, it will be reopened for the upcoming renovation work.

According to Liu Xiaomei, the renovation and protection project of Wenfeng Pagoda is based on the “Three Steps” proposed by Culture Committee of Jiangbei District including “Protection, Renovation and Utilization”. Restoration of the internal structure and external renovation and lighting engineering will be carried out. On the principle of “do not change the original status of cultural relic”, they will use the original materials as far as possible, conserve the original components, use the original techniques to conduct the preservation and protection and repair the wooden staircase. The renovation of the external wall will focus on the restoration of hollowness and shedding parts. The renovation work will be more detailed than the last renovation.

In addition, Tazishan Park has now entered into the construction stage. The construction projects including the landscape stage, hiking trails and etc., are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Wenfeng Pagoda and the construction of Tazishan Park will form an organic whole. At that time, the ancient pagoda will regain its past glory and the ancient appearance will be continued.

When the journalist stood in front of the pagoda, the vision expanded. You can have a panoramic view of“Sailing to the Sky” and Jiangbei Grand Theater on the con fl uence of the Yangtze River and Jialing River. Those high and short buildings in Danzishi, Nan’an District, raise from the ground. Two magnificent bridges—Dafosi Bridge and Chaotianmen Bridge on both side of those buildings add radiance and beauty to each other. After the repair, looking down from the top of pagoda, the scenery of the two rivers will become more magni fi cent.

The Old Stories of Ancient Pagoda on the Tazi Mountain

Article, Pictures/Journalist Yang Yan