Yanqing Temple Pagoda

CHINA, Zhejiang, Lishui

The pagoda was built during the rule of Emperor Zhenzong (reigned 999–1002) of the Northern Song dynasty. While its wooden structure was replaced during repairs in 1990, the rest of the pagoda and its base are original Song brick structures, making it one of the more important pagodas in Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River). It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2006.
The seven-story, hexagonal pagoda measures 38 m high and is made of brick and timber. The first story has double eaves, while the remaining stories all have single eaves. The eaves turn up slightly at the corners, which was a common architectural feature of the Tang dynasty (618–907). All the stories have architraves, bracket sets, and pilasters. Each wall is divided into three bays by pilasters with an ogee arch doorway in every central bay. Each story above the first is surrounded by a balcony. The pyramidal roof is surmounted by the spire, which consists of an inverted bowl, an upturned lotus, seven stacked rings, a canopy, jewel, and finial. From the canopy there are chains connected to the corners of the roof.
The whitewashed walls inside the pagoda are covered with artwork, including paintings of apsaras in vermilion, ink paintings of Arhats, and inscriptions left by visitors dating back to the Song (960–1279), Yuan (1271–1368), and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties. At the center of the first to fifth stories there is a central pillar made of solid brick. There is a small chamber on the first story with niches housing Arhats. The stairs are located in the space between the central pillar and the exterior wall. The spire is supported by a wooden pillar that reaches down to the sixth story.