Shanxi Travel Guide
Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, which stands at the foot of the Hengshan Mountain, the imposing structure is highest and the oldest wooden structure extant today in China.
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| Wooden Pagoda |
Though it appears as a five-storey structure, the pagoda in fact has nine storeys with four hidden inside It was constructed with over 50 kinds of brackets, depending entirely on the joining of tenons and mortises and more miraculously without a single nail or rivet.
Despite the long exposure to the elements, violent earthquakes and intense shelling during wars, the pagoda remains intact, revealing it's exquisite quality in a rustic, simple manner.
The pogoda is situated in western Yingxian County, the tower is 70 kilometers away from Datong. It is shaped in an octagon and is 67.13 meters high and 30 meters in diameter at the bottom. A Liaodynasty structure, it was built in 1056. The wooden tower was completely made of wood without a single nail used. On each story of the tower is displayed calligraphy. The tower offers valuable information for the research of calligraphic arts and the construction of the wooden tower.
