From the Buddhist country to the human world, what has China’s “tower” experienced?

↑A group of National Geographic fans, focusing on exploring the extreme world

Ancient buildings in China

Often only one or two layers

A few pavilions can reach four or five floors.

Among the countless ancient buildings "crawling" on the ground

Only one ancient building

Dare to break through

It is

tower

(Comparison of the heights of the tower and other buildings. The Kaiyuan Temple Tower in the picture is the Kaiyuan Temple Tower in Dingzhou, Hebei. Map by @陈随/Planet Research Institute)

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Some of them exist in bustling cities.

Put on a show for us

The visual collision of classic and modern

(Urumqi Hongshan Ancient Pagoda and CITIC Bank Building, photographer @Hao Pei)

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Some are surrounded by green mountains

Pure and quiet, independent from the world

(Ancient Pagoda in Weibao Mountain, Yunnan, photographer @熊发寿)

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Some are in the hills and mountains

Seeing birds flying into the forest, the world is vast

Like an ink painting by a literati

Long-lasting meaning

(Fawang Temple Pagoda in Songshan, Henan, photographer @刘客白)

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Some are set against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

Noble and sacred

(Mayajinta in Tagong Grassland, western Sichuan, photographer @Greatwj)

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now

Tens of thousands of ancient towers

All over the country

(Distribution of major ancient pagodas in China. The era marked in the picture is the era when the ancient pagodas were first built. The above data comes from: Zhang Yuhuan's "History of Chinese Pagodas", drawn by @Chen Jingyi/Planet Research Institute)

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Where do they come from?

And why are they so striking and diverse?

01

Origin of Buddha

tower

It is not a product of Chinese culture.

It originated from Buddhism

Hometown in ancient India

There

It is called sūdupo

(Stupa)

Originally meant "grave"

Its original form

Not at all like today's tall and thin

In the round body

The place where the Buddha passed away is placed

The real body, relics and other sacred Buddhist objects

Accepting the worship and admiration of countless believers

(The Great Stupa of Sanchi in India is the best-preserved ancient stupa-style pagoda. Image from @Wikimedia Commons)

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In the mutual exchange of civilizations

Stupa follows the footsteps of Buddhism

It was introduced into China through three routes.

And it keeps changing

New name and look

The first route is the southern route

The stupa is from India via Thailand and Myanmar

Arrived in Yunnan, my country

Absorbed the characteristics of Dai culture

A sudden change

Transformed into a graceful and magnificent "Dai Tower"

(Menghuan Shwedagon Pagoda is the largest hollow pagoda in Yunnan, photographer @杨清舜)

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The second route is the middle line

Buddhism Crosses the Himalayas

Integration with Tibetan indigenous religions

Evolution of Tibetan Buddhism

Commonly known as Lamaism

Stupa

Also under the influence of Tibetan culture

Transformed into a thin neck, round waist, white tower

"Lama Tower"

(Lama Tower of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet, photographer @李珩)

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The third route is the northern route

Around the Eastern Han Dynasty

Stupa entered the Central Plains from the Western Regions

In the early days, it was literally translated as "Futu" or "Futu".

Later, the people of the Central Plains adopted Sanskrit

The Sounds of Buddha

The character "土" is added as a radical.

The meaning of "burying Buddha in earth mound"

Create a Chinese character

"tower"

To call them

In this magical land of Central Plains

They began to grow wildly

Some are simply simplified into ellipses

The tower is tight and seamless

It is figuratively called

"Egg Tart" or "Seamless Tart"

(Seamless pagodas are extremely rare, and few survive in the Central Plains. The most representative existing pagoda is the White Pagoda in Dayao, Yunnan. This pagoda is influenced by both Tibetan Buddhism and the Central Plains. Image from @Wikimedia Commons)

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Some in appearance

Like on top of an egg tart

Adding a Chinese-style roof

It is called the "Five-Ring Pagoda"

(The five-wheeled pagoda outside the mountain gate of Yongquan Temple in Fuzhou, photographer @楠静杰)

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And some more

The original "Stupo"

Condensed into "Tasha"

Set on top of building

Single-storey local architecture

It is the "tower body"

Finally, the "base" is finished.

Foreign architecture and traditional architecture

Perfect combination

Shen Yun Tian Cheng

It is a "pavilion-style tower"

(The Four-Gate Pagoda of Shentong Temple in Licheng, Shandong Province, is the earliest and best-preserved single-story pavilion-style pagoda in China. Photographer: Yang Hu)

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However

A single-story pavilion tower is not enough

Reflecting people's respect

In the hearts of devout believers

The noblest architecture

Worship the Buddhas

pavilion

This legendary fairy residence

Entered people's field of vision

It replaced itself

The tower body that is a single-story pavilion

The overall effect creates a straight and upward posture

It is a "pavilion-style tower"

(Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, photographer @Sun Yan)

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Climb the Pavilion Tower

Overlooking the railing

People are in

In the high and ethereal situation

It seems to be one step closer to the Pure Land of Buddha

The remains, relics, etc. in the original tower

Under the Chinese funeral concept of burying the dead in peace

Also moved from the interior of the tower to the underground

It was built by imitating the mausoleum architecture.

"Underground Palace"

(A gilded Tibetan Buddhist pagoda unearthed from the underground palace of the Hongjue Temple Pagoda on Niu Shou Mountain. There are four blue-and-white covered jars distributed around the pagoda body in the center of the base. The shape is rare in China. Photographer @杨虎)

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Back to previous article

Pagoda top, pagoda body, pagoda base, underground palace

Putting the parts together

The basic form of a "tower"

This is formed

(Schematic diagram of the main structure of the tower, with Leifeng Pagoda as a reference, drawn by @Chen Sui/Planet Research Institute)

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The Stupa was completely transformed

While transforming into the Chinese Tower

From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties

Frequent wars and people's livelihood suffering

The world sees no hope of a stable life

Therefore, once Buddhism, which advocates the salvation of all sentient beings, appeared,

He captured many believers

Even emperors and generals were included in this list.

Across the country

A wave of Buddhist architecture and sculpture

(The Five Tan Yao Caves in the Yungang Grottoes symbolize the Five Dynasties of the Northern Wei emperors, who assisted in their rule with the belief that "the emperor is the Buddha". Photographer: @石耀臣)

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Northern Wei

Capital Luoyang

There are more than 1,300 pagodas built

Southern Dynasty

There are more than 500 pagodas built

Sui Dynasty

Emperor Wen of Sui issued three edicts

Build towers in more than 80 locations across the country

Among the above, there are many 100-meter-high towers

(The Songyue Temple Pagoda in Dengfeng, Henan Province in the Northern Wei Dynasty is the earliest existing pagoda in China. Photographer: Shi Yaochen)

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The more magnificent and magnificent the pagoda is

The more it can satisfy the believers' reverence

The more majestic and taller the pagoda is

The more it reflects the supremacy of all Buddhas

However

China has rarely

Precedents for building high-rise buildings

Chinese people lack experience and technology

How to solve one problem after another

Who will build the long-awaited pagoda in the world?

02

Reborn

first

It is a material upgrade

Chinese architecture is known for its wooden structures

After the pagoda was introduced into China

Of course, it is also built with wood.

(Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Shanxi, the oldest existing wooden pagoda in China, photographer @卢俊江)

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Chinese History

The first tower with clear record

White Horse Temple Pagoda in Luoyang, Northern Wei Dynasty

and the Yongning Temple Pagoda from the same dynasty and location

They are all typical wooden towers.

According to the inference of archaeologists

The Yongning Temple Pagoda is about 110 meters high.

It is taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Approaching the Pyramid of Khufu

It is conceivable

The appearance of Yongning Temple Pagoda

How tall and majestic it was back then

(The restored image of Yongning Temple Pagoda is compared with the Pyramid of Khufu and the Statue of Liberty. The data on the height of Yongning Temple Pagoda mentioned above comes from Zhang Yuhuan's "Restoration Study of Yongning Temple Pagoda in the Northern Wei Dynasty", drawn by @陈随/星球研究院)

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However

Easy to burn and rot

Wood is really hard to perfect

The height and eternity that Chinese towers pursue

Just 18 years after its construction

Yongning Temple Pagoda

It collapsed in flames

It's a pity

(The picture and text are irrelevant, they are for illustration only. The picture below shows the burning of the wooden pagoda of Jiulong Temple in Mianzhu, Sichuan on December 10, 2017. The pagoda was damaged in the 2008 earthquake and then caught fire during maintenance. Photographer: @王平)

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In order to prevent the tragedy from happening again

People started using

A material that is stronger and more fire-resistant than wood

brick

However, bricks are not like wood.

Can be long or short, can be bent or curved

It is difficult to make brackets and eaves.

then

Craftsmen use their ingenuity

Lay the bricks outwards layer by layer

It is for "stacked"

(The overlapping techniques on the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, photographer @蔡震宇)

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Solved the masonry problem

Brick towers began to become widely popular

The Ancient One

Like the famous Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Huge size

Showing the solidity of the brick tower

(The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an was built in the third year of Yonghui in the Tang Dynasty [652] by the monk Xuanzang to preserve Buddhist scriptures. Photographer: Li Wenbo)

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Soft

Such as the Baochu Pagoda on the bank of West Lake

The tower is slender and graceful

People say

"Leifeng is like an old monk, Baochu is like a beautiful woman"

(Baochu Pagoda in Hangzhou. The time when Baochu Pagoda was first built is controversial. It is generally believed that it was built in the Northern Song Dynasty when Qian Hongchu, the king of Wuyue, was summoned to Bianjing by Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, to pray for Qian Hongchu's safe return. Photographer: @吕柿锦)

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After the Brick Tower

The Chinese Tower has also developed

A stone tower carved from a single block of bluestone

Most of the stone towers are made from local materials.

Granite for Southeast China

Limestone in the Northwest

Red sandstone is used in southern Sichuan

White marble is used in the Central Plains

Bluestone and limestone

The use of stone also allows

The lines of the tower are more rugged

Many stone towers

Like a spike pointing to the sky

Strong and powerful shape

(Quanzhou Luoyangqiao Town Wind Tower, photographer @杨虎)

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also

And the metal tower

(Iron Pagoda of Taping Temple in Chongqing during the Qing Dynasty, photographer @彭渤)

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Glazed Tower, etc.

(The Kaibao Temple Pagoda in Kaifeng, Henan, also known as the Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, is the earliest and tallest glazed brick pagoda preserved in China to date. Photographer: @方力)

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Colored glazed components throughout the tower

Extremely gorgeous

(Glass components on Feihong Tower of Guangsheng Temple in Hongdong, Shanxi, photographer @杨虎)

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There are even

The Golden Hair Tower Made of Gold

(The Golden Hair Pagoda in the Palace Museum in Beijing. After the death of his mother, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty ordered the construction of a golden pagoda to hold the hair that his mother had combed off during her lifetime, to express his grief. Hence the name Golden Hair Pagoda. Photographer @柳叶氘)

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at the same time

The construction of wooden towers gradually decreased

After the Song Dynasty

Almost extinct

Secondly

It is a structural upgrade

After the rise of brick towers

Bricks suitable for vertical masonry

Used to build the tower's exterior walls

Mainly responsible for bearing

Internal floors and stairs

Still built with wood

In mechanics

Can strengthen horizontal connection

But over time

The wood inside rots and dies

The whole tower

This forms an "empty tube"

Easy to collapse

(Schematic diagram of hollow tube structure tower, drawing by @陈随/Planet Research Institute)

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(Longde Temple Pagoda in Pujiang, Zhejiang. The tower is already hollow. Standing on the bottom floor and looking up, you can see the hexagonal aperture extending upwards. Photographer @杨虎)

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People try to stagger the edges layer by layer

In order to stabilize

But the effect is mediocre

Such as the Xingguo Temple Pagoda in Jiangyin, Jiangsu

The top of the tower no longer exists

Only the crumbling walls remain

(Xingguo Temple Pagoda in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, was built during the Taiping Xingguo period of the Northern Song Dynasty. Photographer: Li Qiong)

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So the craftsmen

On the basis of masonry exterior walls

Also built with bricks and stones

Center support for reinforcement

(Sketch of a solid structure tower, drawn by @陈随/Planet Research Institute)

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In this way

The tower is indeed quite stable.

But inside the pagoda

Almost completely occupied by the supporting structure

Lack of used space

thus

The craftsmen hollowed out the interior.

Free up the center

For worshipping Buddha statues, etc.

(Schematic diagram of the corridor-style structure tower, drawn by @Chen Sui/Planet Research Institute)

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This double-layer support structure

It is called "tube in tube"

This structure is extremely advanced

People still use it today

(Guangzhou International Finance Center with a tube-in-tube structure, photographer @林宇先)

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After the material and structure were greatly improved

The height of the tower has also increased

The general height of the existing ancient towers

In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was 3-8 meters

In the Song and Liao dynasties

Soared directly to about 20 meters

(Song Dynasty Stone Pagoda at Taping Temple in Chongqing, photographer @彭渤)

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When the actual height of the tower

It is difficult to move up in a short period of time

People began to work on vision

The pavilion-style tower

Shorten the height between floors

Adding more floors

The eaves are densely arranged

It is called "dense eaves tower"

(The center of the picture below is the Qianxun Pagoda of Chongsheng Temple in Dali, a typical dense-eaves tower, with pavilion-style towers on both sides. Photographer: Jiang Chenming)

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Although the height is the same as the pavilion-style tower

But the visual effect

Or is the dense eaves tower more towering?

03

Going to the world

During the Song Dynasty

Economic prosperity and social stability

Buddhism: “The Four Elements Are Empty”

The role of the auxiliary regime is not as good as before

No more royal support

The Buddha can only let go of his status

Cater to the people

Originally slim

Maitreya Buddha

A round face and a big belly

Catering to the world's expectations for more happiness and longevity

Originally had a mustache

Avalokitesvara

Completely transformed into a daughter

Good at solving problems for women and children

(Mural in Cave 225 of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Guanyin Bodhisattva with a mustache, photographer @Sun Zhijun)

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pagoda

No longer just outside the world

Beyond the mundane

It also left behind the ordinary streets

Authenticity and Kindness

Walking on the streets

There will be a

Crossing Tower

Every time people pass by

It is a worship

(Zhaoguan Tower, Xijin Ancient Ferry, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, built in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, is the only well-preserved stone tower crossing the street in China. Photographer: @李文博)

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When drawing water from the well, there will be

Well Tower

Every drop of water is a gift

(Dai Well Tower in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan, photographer @李昌华)

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There will be

The pilot tower

"Light up eight hundred lanterns, guide thousands of sails to race at night"

In the sparkling light

Changing various figures

(Liuhe Pagoda in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, was built in the third year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty [970]. The existing outer eaves were built in the Qing Dynasty, and the main body of the tower is a relic of the Song Dynasty. Photographer @吕海彬)

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When you need to scout the enemy

People will build

Observation Tower

(The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Dingzhou, Hebei, was built in the second year of the Northern Song Dynasty [1055]. At that time, Dingzhou was the border between Liao and Song. The people of the Song Dynasty built this tower to observe the enemy, so it was also called the "Enemy Tower". Photographer @杨虎)

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In commemoration of the ancestors revered by the people

Commemorating the friendship between China and foreign countries

People built

Monumental Tower

(During the Tang Dynasty, a memorial tower for Guangzhou's exchanges with Arab countries - Huaisheng Mosque Light Tower, photographer @杨虎)

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After the Imperial Examination

High school talent club

Standing on the tower in a chic and beautiful manner

Carve your name

Leaving behind the story of "Inscribing the Name on the Wild Goose Pagoda"

And long for my children and grandchildren to go to high school

Those who passed the imperial examination

Will build it in my hometown

Wenbi Tower and Wenfeng Tower

In the hope that the literary style will flourish

(Wenbi Tower in Jianshui, Yunnan, built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, photographer @Lu Wen)

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People who cherish words

A special

Word Tower

Turn the written paper into ashes

Not stained by the mundane world

(Wangcheng Tea Pavilion Xizi Tower in Changsha, Hunan, built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, photographer @朱立)

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People affected by disasters such as floods

Will build

Feng Shui Tower

Pray for good weather and a stable life

(The Zuojiang Leaning Pagoda in Chongzuo City, Guangxi, was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is a Feng Shui pagoda. It is said to have been built to suppress demons and ward off evil spirits. Photographer @李妍)

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People express their emotions

Added to the tower

Symbol of family waiting

"Sister-in-law Tower" in Quanzhou, Fujian

Now the returning wanderers

Find this tower in the vast ocean

Tears will well up in my eyes

(Sister-in-law Tower in Quanzhou, Fujian, photographer @雾雨川)

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A touching love story

It is also inextricably linked to the pagoda.

For example, Cui Yingying, the heroine of The Romance of the West Chamber

It is in the pagoda courtyard of Puji Temple.

Meet the male protagonist and get married

This tower was also renamed "Yingying Tower"

tower

Take off the halo of Buddhism

Going to the people, to the masses

Even left Buddhism

It no longer leads the world

Believe in the imaginary Western gods and Buddhas

But serve

People’s real feelings and needs

(In Zhaoxing Dong Village, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, the tower has become a place for people to relax and cool off. Photographer: @向玥)

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The open space in front of the tower

No longer pretentious as a Buddhist Pure Land

Used as a venue for activities

For people to dance and children to play

(Guifeng Pagoda in Heyuan, Guangdong, was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty and was named after its location on Guifeng Mountain. Photographer: @Lu Wen)

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In the vast masses

Creativity and imagination

Various

"X-style" + "X-style" tower

Blooming all over the country

for example

Pavilion tower + pavilion tower

(The Fan Tower in Kaifeng, Henan, was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty. After several ups and downs, only three floors of the original tower remain. Later generations built a small solid tower on top of it, forming the peculiar shape of "tower on tower" today. Photographer @焦潇翔)

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Dense eaves tower + pavilion tower

(Duobao Glazed Tower in the Summer Palace, Beijing, photographer @Qu Bingchao)

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Lama Tower + Multi-eave Tower

(Bronze Pagoda of Xiantong Temple in Wutai Mountain, Shanxi Province, photographer @胡寒)

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Dense eaves tower + Lama tower

(The White Pagoda in Jixian County, Tianjin, is an example of a uniquely shaped Liao Dynasty pagoda in China. Photographer: Yang Hu)

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Pavilion tower + pavilion tower

Pavilion-style tower

Pavilion tower + pavilion tower

(Hua Pagoda of Guanghui Temple in Zhengding, Hebei, was first built in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt during the Dading period of the Jin Dynasty. Photographer: @Jimmy's Little Universe)

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Lama Tower + Lama Tower

Lama Tower

Lama Tower + Lama Tower

——————————

Base

(The Vajra Pagoda of Miaozhan Temple in Kunming, Yunnan, commonly known as the Piercing Pagoda, was built in the Yuan Dynasty. Photographer: @Lu Wen)

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Dense eaves tower + dense eaves tower

Pavilion Tower

Dense eaves tower + dense eaves tower

——————————

Base

(The Vajra Seat Relic Pagoda in Wuta Temple, Hohhot, was built during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. Photographer: Yang Zhaofu)

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Dai Tower + Dai Tower + Dai Tower + Dai Tower

Dai Tower

Dai Tower + Dai Tower + Dai Tower + Dai Tower

(The Manfeilong White Pagoda in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, was built in the Qing Dynasty. Photographer: @Little Crystal)

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The pagoda is not just a tower

There are also twin towers

Three towers cast shadows, five towers look back

Even the monks' tomb towers

Tallinn

The earliest twin towers that remain today

The twin towers of Chongqing Temple in Beizhen, Liaoning

Others such as the Twin Towers on Jiangxin Island in Wenzhou, Zhejiang

Jiangsu Suzhou Twin Towers, etc.

Both are examples of twin towers in my country

As the saying goes

"The ancient tower is far away, and the shadows of the towers are double in the sky"

(The twin towers of Yongzuo Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi, were built in the Ming Dynasty. Photographer: @陈伟健)

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In the three towers

Particularly famous are

Standing between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake

Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in Dali, Yunnan

and the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon Stone Pagoda in Hangzhou, Zhejiang

Every moon night

Light candles in the tower

Moonlight and candlelight shine in the distance

As the saying goes

"There is one moon in the sky, and its shadow in the lake becomes three"

(The Stone Pagoda of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, was originally built by Su Shi in the Song Dynasty. The existing one was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. Only one stone pagoda is captured in the picture below. Photographer @王光音)

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On one door

Five towers gathered together

(The Five Pagoda Gate of Putuo Zongcheng Temple in Chengde, Hebei, photographer @乔力)

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Ta'er Temple in Xining, Qinghai

Eight Great Pagodas

(Eight Great Spiritual Pagodas, photographer @刘昌)

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Niu Shou Mountain in Qingtongxia, Ningxia

One Hundred and Eight Towers

(The 108 towers in Qingtongxia, the construction date is unknown, and cultural relics such as Buddhist scripture fragments with Xixia characters have been excavated here. Photographer @石耀臣)

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and the Lingyan Temple Pagoda Forest in Changqing, Shandong

Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest in Dengfeng, Henan

(Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest in Dengfeng, Henan, photographer @刘客白)

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Do you think that's all?

No

The Chinese Tower also has

Spherical

Yunnan Ruili Screw Pagoda

(Screw Pagoda in Ruili, Yunnan, photographer @杨清舜)

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Style rare

Islam Tower

(The Sugong Tower in Xinjiang was built by Emin Hezhuo, the Prince of Turpan in the Qing Dynasty, and others to express their loyalty to the Qing Dynasty. They funded 7,000 taels of silver. Photographer: @李文博)

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Partially submerged in the ground

Wanshou Pagoda

(Wanshou Pagoda in Jingzhou, Hubei, is located on the Jingjiang River embankment. It is a Ming Dynasty pavilion-style brick tower. After the Jingjiang River embankment was raised in 1952, it sank into the ground. Photographer @邓双)

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Built on a cliff

Shibaozhai Wooden Pagoda

(Shibaozhai Wooden Pagoda in Zhong County, Chongqing, photographer @王寰)

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······

From Han and Wei Dynasties to Ming and Qing Dynasties

The creation of billions of people

Two thousand years of accumulation

The Chinese Tower has endless variations

On the mountains, by the rivers

In poetry and legend

Together they form a

Land area: 9.6 million square kilometers

"China Tower Museum"

This article was created by

Written by: Li Zhang Ziwei

Image: Yu Kuan

Map: Chen Jingyi

Design: Chen Sui

Proofreading: Zhang Jing, Lushumao

Cover Photographer: Sun Yan

【References】

[1] Chang Qing. The Artistic Process of Ancient Chinese Pagodas[M]. Shaanxi People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, 1998.
[2] Zhang Yuhuan. History of Chinese Buddhist Pagodas[M]. Science Press, 2006.
[3] Dai Xiaojun. Chinese Ancient Pagodas and Their Aesthetic Cultural Characteristics[M]. Wuhan University Press, 2018.
[4] Xu Huadang. The Shape of Ancient Chinese Pagodas[M]. China Forestry Publishing House, 2007.
[5] Wan Younan. Tower[M]. China Architecture & Building Press, 2013.

ps. The ancient towers in this article are not arranged in strict chronological order

... The End ...

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