Youguo Temple Pagoda

CHINA, Henan, Kaifeng

This is China’s oldest existing glazed brick pagoda. It was originally built from wood in 982 during the Northern Song dynasty, by the famous architect Yu Hao. In 1044 it was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire. Rebuilding started in 1049 and may have taken more than 20 years to complete. It is commonly known as the Iron Pagoda due to the color of the bricks. The temple was demolished in 1841 during the Qing dynasty and the area has recently been turned into the Iron Pagoda Park. The pagoda was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1961.
The 13-story, octagonal, glazed brick pagoda is 54.1 m high. It used to be higher but the foundations sank at the time of the flooding of the Yellow River. On the first story there are arched doorways on the sides facing the four cardinal directions but only the northern door is real. On the other stories there are either windows or niches. The eaves and the stories above are supported by distinctive bracket sets. The octagonal pyramidal roof is surmounted by a spire consisting of an upturned lotus base followed by a jewel. The exterior of the pagoda is covered with decorated glazed bricks with more than fifty different designs including Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, apsaras, dragons, qilins, and floral patterns. Inside the pagoda there is a small iron pagoda and a bronze, standing Amitabha Buddha.