Chongmiao Baosheng Jianlao Pagoda

CHINA, Fujian, Fuzhou

The name of the pagoda means Wisdom, Sacredness, and Firmness. It is situated at the foot of the eastern side of Wushishan (Black Stone Hill). It is the oldest stone pagoda in Fujian. It was built in 799 during the Tang dynasty but was destroyed in 879. Construction of a new pagoda was started by King Wang Yanxi (reigned 939–944) of Min in 941, during the Five Dynasties period. It was originally planned to be nine stories high but only seven stories were completed when the emperor was murdered. Despite going through a number of repairs, it retains its original Song dynasty (960–1279) features. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.
The seven-story, octagonal, stone pagoda is 34.7 m high and is built in imitation of a timber structure. The first story has a doorway on the east side with niches on the remaining sides. All the other stories have two doorways on opposing sides and niches on the remaining six sides. The niches house stone Buddha statues. There are pilasters at the corners of each story. During a major renovation in 1621, the pilasters on the first story were sculpted with the Eight Wisdom Kings. Each story has a balcony with solid balustrades. The corbeling, which is constructed from large slabs of rock, accentuates the eaves, which are bigger than normal. Inside the pagoda, there are spiral stone stairs leading to the top.
A stele pavilion is located next to the pagoda; the stele within this pavilion that depicts the pagoda is the oldest existing stele in Fuzhou.