Ningshou Temple Pagoda

CHINA, Gansu, Qingyang

Ningshou Temple Pagoda is also known as the Zhengping Brick Pagoda and is located on the east side of the ancient city of Zhengping. The temple was built during the Five Dynasties period (907–960) but was subsequently destroyed leaving only the well-preserved brick pagoda. Repairs were carried out in 1994 on the fifth story as well as on the spire. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.
The pagoda consists of five stories and it is 21.2 m high. The first story measures 6 m by 6 m. The interior is hollow and there is a doorway on the south side leading to a square chamber. Architraves can be found on the upper section of each story, with two bracket sets between each bay. The eaves are composed of multiple corbeling and their edges consist of corrugated tiles. There are arched doorways on alternate sides of each story. Balustrades supported by two-tier bracket sets can be found on the second, third, and fifth stories. Certain aspects of the structure, such as the bracket sets, are Tang dynasty (618–907) features. The roof is shaped like a truncated pyramid and is surmounted by a spire with seven stacked rings.