Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda

CHINA, Hebei, Baoding

This pagoda is also called Liaodi, meaning Watching for the Enemy. It is the tallest pagoda in China. Its construction was started by imperial order in 1001 during the Northern Song dynasty, and was completed in 1055. The pagoda was built to enshrine the relics that monk Huineng had brought back from India. Due to its strategic location it was also used as a watchtower. An earthquake occurred in 1884, resulting in the collapse of the northeast side of the pagoda. It was restored during the late 1980s. The pagoda was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1961.
The 11-story, octagonal, hollow brick pagoda is 83.7 m high and is painted white. The first story is higher than the other stories and has a diameter of around 25 m. Low balustrades surround the pagoda body on the second story. With the exception of the first story which has real windows, arched doorways are located on the sides facing the four cardinal sides on each story, while the remaining sides have false windows. The false windows are either decorated with latticework or carvings of geometric shapes. The two uppermost stories have doorways on all sides. The spire consists of an upright lotus, an inverted bowl, a flame, and two bronze jewels. Within the pagoda there is a hollow central pillar with stairs that reach to the top. The pagoda appears simple and unadorned.
Within the pagoda there are murals from the Song dynasty (960–1279), as well as stele inscriptions. During the renovation various artifacts were found within the spire, including a copy of the Diamond Sutra, three bronze Buddha statues, and several bronze mirrors.