Shanxi Feiyun Tower

Architecture
Wood Structure

• Feiyun Tower is located within the Dongyue Temple in Wanrong County, Shanxi Province, and is a nationally protected cultural relic. The architectural structure belongs to the Yuan and Ming dynasties style. Although it was rebuilt during the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, with only over 250 years of history, it still retains the architectural characteristics of the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods.
• Feiyun Tower has three exposed floors but actually contains five levels. The top features a crossed-hipped roof, and the base level is supported by many wooden columns, totaling 345 sets of bracket arms (dougongs). The ground floor has a square plan, with walls connecting on two sides. Four large wooden columns that reach the roof through openings in the second and third floors. Its unique shape, densely packed bracket arms, and cloud-like decorations give the tower its name, Feiyun, meaning "flying clouds."
• Due to the inability to find large enough wooden columns, short timbers were spliced together. At each joint of the short timbers, a connection method using mantis head tenons and hook head lap joints was adopted, creating a very tight and sturdy construction.

Reference and image source: Yuncheng Municipal People's Government Website