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Wanbu Huayanjing Pagoda
The Wanbu Huayanjing Pagoda is located in the
southeast of Baita Village in the east suburb of Hohhot City of the Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Commonly called White Pagoda, the Wanbu Huayanjing Pagoda was said to be
built in Emperor Shengzong's reign (983 -- 1031) of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).
With an octagonal plane, the pagoda has seven storeys and is 45.18 meters high.
It has a high pedestal, with supine lotuss on the top, and there are spiral
stairs inside and you can climb up to look far into the distance. There are two
half-round arches and two square false doors on each floor. The first and second
floors enshrine figures of Heavenly Kings, Hercules, and Bodhisattvas. Carved
adeptly, these vivid statues are excellent artworks in the Liao Dynasty. There
used to be nine contribution steles built in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)
embedded in the first floor, but now only six remain extant. Multi-layer
interlaced beams on the inner and outer walls and the center form a complete
wooden frame.
The bricks on its surface were carved with fine pictures. Inside you can find
many scriptures written in different languages including Chinese, Tibetan,
Mongolian, and the languages of Nuzhen, Khitan and other ethnic groups that
demonstrate that each ethnic group has associated and exchanged
culture with each other for a long time.
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