The construction of the pagoda is a wonder. Because Xian is located in
an area where earthquakes sometimes occur, the pagoda base is made from
packed earth in the shape of a hemisphere. In case of an earthquake, the
pressure can be evenly divided, thus the pagoda has remained standing
after over seventy earthquakes. After so many earthquakes, only the
pinnacle and the two upper floors (the original pagoda had fifteen
stories) have been damaged. Remarkably, cracks which occurred during
earthquakes have been closed by quakes that came later.
A
giant iron bell 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) in height and about 10 tons in weight resides in the Jianfu Temple. It makes a magnificent clear sound
that can be heard more than three miles away. Joel had a lot of fun ringing it.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the year 707 A.D during the
Tang Dynasty (618-907). Unlike the grand Big Wild
Goose Pagoda, it is dainty and exquisite in its appearance. It is an
important cultural relic and one of the remaining symbols of ancient
Chang'an (the name of Xian in the Tang Dynasty).
This multi-eave
brick pagoda is thirteen stories tall, reaching 142 feet.
It is square on plane and rises skyward in an elegant spindle shape.
Above the ground floor, the height of each story diminishes, rendering a
graceful curve to the contour. Multi-eaves are made by overlapping
bricks which curve inward, a characteristic of the Tang Dynasty
construction. The ground floor has arched doors facing north and south;
the other floors have arched windows instead. The fine drawings on the
doors reflect the artistic style prevailing in the Tang Dynasty. Inside,
a narrow wooden stairway winds its way to the top of the pagoda.
No comments:
Post a Comment