Fujian C Quanzhou landmark, selected as one of the four famous towers in the country | East Tower
✈️【Arrival】
On this trip to the World Heritage City of Quanzhou, I not only learned about our country's long and profound maritime culture, felt the unique charm and style of Quanzhou, a small city in southern Fujian, but also checked in at many local landmark buildings, and the East Tower of Quanzhou is one of them.
🚩【Existing】
The East Tower of Quanzhou, as the tallest pair of stone towers in China, is one of the treasures of Kaiyuan Temple - one of the East and West Towers, also known as the National Tower, because it is located on the east side of the main hall of the temple, opposite to the Ren Shou Tower, so it is commonly known as the East Tower.
📖【Construction】
Initially built in the sixth year of Tang Xiantong, it has the meaning of calming the chaos of the country and achieving peace. It is an octagonal five-story pavilion-style imitation wooden structure granite tower about 48 meters high.
The East Tower in front of us, after many times of destruction and reconstruction, changed from wood to brick, and then from brick to stone, to become what we see today. Although it is a relic of the Song Dynasty, it is a rare treasure of ancient Chinese stone architecture, both in terms of appearance and construction skills, it can be called unique and exquisite.
📍【Style】
The whole tower is known for its solidity and beauty, with a gorgeous Sumeru seat base, surrounded by beautifully carved Buddhist reliefs, which are stable and beautiful while appearing sacred and solemn. The tower body is divided into parts such as the tower core column, outer wall, inner and outer corridors, etc. The frame structure has doors and niches on each floor, as well as stairs and flat seats handrails for tourists to pass and view.
What is worth mentioning is the octagonal tower core column made of stone that runs through each floor, which not only supports the whole tower, but also conforms to the principles of mechanics. Coupled with a solid foundation and staggered granite tower walls, this towering tower has stood tall for a thousand years in wind and rain.
🚩【Landmark】
Of course, the most impressive thing about the East Tower of Quanzhou is its exquisite and vivid shape, which not only has been selected as one of the four famous towers in the country, but also has been called the king of stone towers. Whether it is looking at the tower body from a distance, with its flying eaves and corners, or looking closely at the hundreds of vivid relief statues on the tower body, it is hard not to imagine the prosperous scene of Quanzhou's overseas traffic in the Middle Ages, and deeply admire the superb skills of our ancient laborers.
✅Check-in tips
🚩Quanzhou East Tower
📍Inside Kaiyuan Temple, West Street, Quanzhou City
🎫Free to the public
⏰Open all day
🚩Suggested tour time 1-2 hours
🚌601, 014, 006, 002, get off at Kaiyuan Temple Station