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Twin Tower of Chongxing Temple

The Twin Tower of the Chongxing Temple is located in the northeast corner of Beizhen County in Liaoning Province.

The Twin Tower was built during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and went through a number of renovations in the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. The tower is still well preserved. The Chongxing Temple was built behind the Twin-Tower, known as the Twin Tower of Chongxing Temple.

The two facing towers are situated in the east and west. Both brick towers are octagonal in shape and have 13 layers with a double-eaved roof. Built in a similar style, the east tower is 43.85 meters high, while the west tower is 42.63 meters high; there is a distance of 43 meters between them. An arch-shaped niche was carved in the center of each tower's side with a sitting Buddha statue engraved in each niche. Standing Buddha statues are located on both sides of the niche. Above the niches is a well-preserved, finely carved canopy and a flying Apsaras. Brick-carved dougongs (a system of brackets in Chinese building with wooden square blocks between the top of a column and a crossbeam) are engraved under the eaves on the ground floor. The rest of the layers gradually reach the top, layer by layer. The top is decorated with carvings that include a lotus throne, vase, mast and pearl. The two towers have maintained their original architectural style after many renovations by later generations.

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