Foxiangge – Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁)

Peking · China · Palace

When Qianlong's workmen opened an old tomb on Longevity Hill, eight characters stood carved inside: 'Touch me not, and I shall not touch you.'

High on Longevity Hill in the Summer Palace stands Foxiangge, the Tower of Buddhist Incense. Legend has it that the Qianlong Emperor originally meant to raise a nine-storey pagoda on the spot – but the hill hid a secret. There lay the tomb of a Ming imperial consort, a grave no one had dared disturb. When the workmen broke open the stone tomb the emperor was summoned, and inside the opened stone door eight carved characters were found: 'Touch me not, and I shall not touch you.' Qianlong had the tomb sealed at once and built the tower above it as a lock upon the unwelcome guest. A kernel of history shows through: the pagoda project really was abandoned – by the chronicles, after a lightning strike – and replaced by today's three storeys. In the rain, a woman's sighs are sometimes said to drift around the tower's foundations.

FAQ

Where is Foxiangge – Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁) located?

Foxiangge – Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁) is in Peking, China.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.