Abstract: As one of the four highest ancient towers in China，Chongwen pagoda suffered serious damages in Whenchuan earthquake．In order to estimate the present situation and safety of Chongwen pagoda，the detailed survey and investigation of seismic damage were made．It was analysed the reason of its seismic damage through the finite element software and the basic mechanics concept，then the safety of the pagoda was evaluated．The analysis indicated that Chongwen pagoda was in unstable condition．