Hongji Temple, also known as Gunzhong Temple, has a history of more than 1,300 years. It is situated in Yitang Town, 10 kilometres southwest of Jiexiu City. Facing the Fen River to the east and backed by Yinding Mountain, it stands close to Queshu Valley, an ancient battlefield to the west.

The main buildings, laid out progressively from east to west, include the Zhenwu Temple, Guanyin Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Bell and Drum Towers, north and south stele corridors, Ksitigarbha Hall, Hall of the Eastern Trinity Buddhas, Hall of the Western Trinity Buddhas, Hall of Birth Buddha, Mahavira Hall, Hall of Great Men, the north and south side halls of Buddha Kongwang, and the Spring and Autumn Tower. The whole architectural complex features a grand and imposing style.

Historical records state that the temple was founded in the 13th year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong of Tang built the temple after defeating Liu Wuzhou in Fen Prefecture. First erected in the early Tang Dynasty, it was renovated in the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty and restored during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, with Buddha statues gilded in the Qianlong period. Later, repeated wars reduced most halls and towers to ruins.

The ancient pagoda perched atop Yinding Mountain is an octagonal nine-storey pavilion-style brick pagoda. With the Fen River flowing in front of the mountain, the scenery bears a strong resemblance to that of the Pagoda Hill in Yan’an.

Hongji Temple Pagoda stands within the temple compound and was completed no later than the 18th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1590). According to documents such as Institutional History of the Tang Dynasty and Catalogue of Epigraphy, during the Zhenguan reign, Li Shimin issued an imperial edict to construct a temple on Yinding Mountain beside Queshu Valley in memory of numerous loyal soldiers who lost their lives on the battlefield. After the completion of Hongji Temple, the historian Li Baiyao composed an inscription for it.

The pagoda was built not only to mark this sacred Buddhist site but also to demarcate the county boundary. It is an octagonal nine-tier pavilion-style brick tower standing on a square stone plinth. The body is built with polished bricks, crowned by a glazed roof and resting on a stone base carved with lotus reliefs. Each side of the octagon measures 3.6 metres. The tower covers a ground area of 62.7 square metres and rises to a height of 31 metres.

In June 1982, the People’s Government of Jiexiu County listed it among the First Batch of County-level Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.