The pagoda stands on a hill at the western edge of the ruins of the ancient county town of Fuliang in present-day Jingdezhen. It was originally a pagoda at Xita Temple and is known as Red Pagoda because of the reddish color of the bricks it is built of. It is believed to be the most ancient large pagoda in Jiangxi and one of the most ancient Song Dynasty pagodas in Jiangxi and one of the most ancient Song Dynasty pagodas in the country. According to Fu Liang Xian Zhi (Records of Fuliang County) "Xita Temple, situated in the western corner of the town, was constructed by a monk in 832 during the Tang Dynasty. The pagoda, thirteen Zhang [about forty-three meters ] high, was built in 961 during the Song Dynasty on the initiative of Li Wenbiao, a local resident, and was rebuilt in 1575 during the Ming Dynasty. Analysis of the appearance and structure of the pagoda shows that the pagoda is a relic of the Song Dynasty and the renovation during the Ming Dynasty was minor.
The hexagonal, seven-storey, brick pagoda is fifty meters high. All the storeys except the first have balconies. Every floor of the pagoda is divided into three rooms, with an arched door in the center. The exterior of the pagoda is in a state of decay. From the height of the first storey and traces of holes on the walls, the pagoda may originally have had a staircase.
