The pagoda is located on Xiangbi (Elephant Trunk) Rock, where the Yangtze River turns and roars. It can be seen from afar by ships sailing on the river and is a landmark of Shashi City.
The pagoda was built between 1548 and 1552 by Zhu Xianjie, a local king, to pray for longevity for Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty.
The octagonal, six-storeyed, brick and stone pagoda is some forty meters high. A huge stone pedestal supports the brick body. Under the pent roofs are brick beams and brackets modeled after wooden ones. The outer wails of the main body have ninety-four niches for white marble Buddhist statues. Both interior and exterior walls of the pagoda are inlaid with many fine brick statues of standing or seated Buddhas. The steeple, made of gilded copper, is unusual, being carved with Buddhist scriptures.
The whole pagoda appears stable and firm as it tapers sharply from the first storey up. Pagodas usually have an odd number of storeys, but this one has six, making it more valuable. The carved bricks on the pagoda were all contributed by local officials of the time, hence they bear words in Chinese, Tibetan and other languages and the carvings are in different styles.
There is a door on the southern side of the pagoda, and visitors can go to the top to admire the view.
