It is an octagonal structure of nine stories, with five visible from outside and four hidden inside. The Buddhist statues in  each story and paintings on the inner walls of the first story are all works of the Liao Dynasty.

During a renovation of the pagoda in 1974, a number of sutras were found, some hand-written and others block  printed. They are important materials for the study of religion and printing technology of the Liao Dynasty, as well as the political, economic and cultural developments of the dynasty.

Architecture wonder

There is another convincing reason for the pagoda's longevity: ingenious architecture.

Despite the fact that local annals record the pagoda's construction in 1056, no records show who constructed and why. Local people even choose to believe it was built by Lu Ban, China's legendary master carpenter of the Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BC).

The ancient craftsmanship dwarfs modern technology: 26 statues appear on different floors to represent different stages of enlightenment, from gold-leaf on the first floor to nine plain sculptures on the fifth floor. Not one nail is to be found in the entire structure.

The work is not just state-of-the-art architecture for the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), says Luo Zhewen, 82 and an expert from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. It's state-of-the-art architecture for the 21st century, Luo adds.

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