Dongji Pagoda: Fuyuan’s Landmark at the Eastern Edge

Dongji Pagoda stands on Heixiazi Island in Fuyuan, where the Heilongjiang and Ussuri rivers meet. Fuyuan’s municipal account describes the tower as 81 metres high, with nine storeys and an octagonal plan in a style inspired by Han and Tang architecture. Its height makes it a visible marker on the flat river island, while the upward sequence of storeys gives the building a strong vertical profile. The tower is not an ancient pagoda; it is a modern landmark designed to give a symbolic centre to a city known for its eastern position. The city describes the tower as a focal point of the island’s scenic layout, with the surrounding plaza and sculptures orienting visitors toward it.

The plaza around the pagoda is 171 metres in diameter, a number the city’s page connects to the 171 square kilometres of the Chinese-administered portion of Heixiazi Island. Fifty-six carved stone columns encircle the space, representing China’s 56 recognized ethnic groups. At the base, display areas present Chinese culture and regional specialties. The site also places sculptures around the tower, including a qilin, a bronze vessel and a turtle motif. These details turn the monument into a designed ensemble: tower, open plaza and sculptural markers work together to make Fuyuan’s location legible through architecture.

The pagoda’s name and setting connect it to the language of the eastern frontier. Fuyuan’s official description calls the tower a landmark of the country’s eastern edge and uses the traditional morning-bell image to express that identity. The tower’s visual programme extends beyond the skyline: four dragon columns at the corners of its base carry different postures, while the surrounding circular plaza gathers the building’s symbolic elements into a single space. Together, the tower and plaza translate direction into civic architecture. They make a fixed point on the river island, where a modern landmark stands within a much older river landscape.