The pagoda is believed to have been built during the early period of the Northern Song Dynasty, judging from its architectural and artistic style. It is an octagonal, multistoreyed building, its base a three-level pedestal covered with decorative patterns of sea waves and sea animals, similar to those on the Sarira Pagoda built during the Five Dynasties on Qixia Hill of Nanjing. Each storey of the iron pagoda has doors in four directions. The other four sides have either false windows or Buddhist statues. The eaves over each storey are supported by brackets. Traces of red and white paintings can still be seen on the surface of the rails, like those on Huqiu Pagoda. All these characteristics indicate construction during the Five Dynasties and the early Northern Song Dynasty. The most outstanding feature of the pagoda is the ornamental carvings all over the body, including the corner columns, which are covered with scrolling grass patterns dotted with children's lively images. They are similar to the carvings on the stone pillars at the site of the old Luohanyuan Temple in Suzhou. This is China's only iron pagoda with such refined, exquisite carvings dating from such an early period. Though partially broken, it is still of priceless value.
