The White Stupa of the Miaoying Temple, Beijing

The White Stupa of the Miaoying Temple was completed during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and was designed by the Nepalese architect Araniko (1245-1306). It is elevated on a 2-meter -high platform that occupies an area of more than 1,400 square meters. The stupa's 9-meter-high base consists of three tiers, of which the upper two are designed as Sumeru terraces, an architectural style originating from Indian Buddhism and widely adopted in East Asia with a meaning of supreme stability. Each tier is bilaterally symmetrical and designed with origami edges along its four sides.

The main body of the White Stupa resembles a giant inverted bowl. At the juncture of the stupa body and its base, a lotus throne featuring 24 upturned carved lotus petals makes a natural transition between the two parts. The xianglun rings, a cone-shaped vertical shaft with 13 tiers of rings piling up in decreasing diameter to the top, hold up the canopy and the gilded bronze finial.

The White Stupa of the Miaoying Temple was the greatest work of Araniko and is the only well-preserved cultural relic of the Dadu capital of the Yuan Dynasty in Beijing. It is a tribute to the historical friendship between China and Nepal.