Zhengang Pagoda

CHINA, Beijing

The pagoda’s date of construction is unknown but from the layout and style it would appear to have been built in the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) and rebuilt in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The spire was destroyed during the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and repaired after 1949. It was listed as a Municipal Cultural Heritage Site in 1982.
The solid, brick pagoda is octagonal and highly decorated. It has a height of 18 m with each side measuring 3 m. The upper section of the base platform has brick bracket sets and carvings of plants, animal heads, and images of deities. There are false arched doors on the four cardinal sides of the pagoda body with carvings of lattice doors, while the remaining sides have vertical bar windows. At the corners there are rounded pilasters. The upper section of the pagoda body features shortened eaves. The spire is shaped like a cone and consists of seven tiers of Buddha niches in miniature pagodas. The first tier has two-story pagodas, while the pagodas on the remaining tiers only have one story. The Buddha images are portrayed with various mudras: with either one or both hands raised, or with palms joined. Some of the Buddha images are missing.