Features
Mystery, history & majesty
Updated: Feb 27, 2025
By FANG AIQING/ZHU XINGXIN
CHINA DAILY
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Yingxian's pagoda
At 67.31 meters tall, the Sakyamuni Pagoda of the Fogong Temple in Yingxian county, also known as the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, is one of the world's oldest and tallest of its kind. Built during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and later restored, the pagoda has withstood severe earthquakes and political turbulence for nearly a millennium. It has five visible stories and four hidden ones, with each visible story housing Liao Dynasty statues. The octagonal timber-framed structure features nearly 60 types of dougong (interlocking brackets), which adorn the structure while bearing the load for the columns and providing buffering against external forces.
