Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
Porcelain Tower of Nanjing | ||
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Hanyu Pinyin Dà Bào'ēn sì | | |
Yue: Cantonese | ||
Yale Romanization | daaih boyān jih | |
Jyutping | daai6 bo3jan1 zi6 |
The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, part of the former Great Bao'en Temple, is a historical site located on the south bank of external
In 2010, Wang Jianlin, a Chinese businessman donated a billion yuan (US$156 million) to the city of Nanjing for its reconstruction. This is reported to be the largest single personal donation ever made in China.[2] In December 2015, the modern replica and surrounding park were opened to the public.[3][4]
History
The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, originally called the Great Bao'en Temple, was designed during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424); its construction began in the early 15th century. On 25 March 1428, the Xuande Emperor ordered Zheng He and others to supervise the rebuilding and repair of the temple.[5] The construction of the temple was completed in 1431.[6]
It was first discovered by the Western world when European travelers like Johan Nieuhof visited it,[7] sometimes listing it as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. After this exposure to the outside world, the tower was seen as a national treasure by both locals and other cultures around the world.
In 1801, the tower was struck by lightning and the top four stories were knocked off, but it was soon restored. The 1843 book, The Closing Events of the Campaign in China by Granville Gower Loch, contains a detailed description of the tower as it existed in the early 1840s. In the 1850s, the area surrounding the tower erupted in civil war as the
Description
The tower was
The tower was built with white porcelain bricks that were said to reflect the sun's rays during the day, and at night as many as 140 lamps were hung from the building to illuminate the tower. Glazes and stoneware were worked into the porcelain and created a mixture of green, yellow, brown and white designs on the sides of the tower, including animals, flowers and landscapes. The tower was also decorated with numerous Buddhist images.[citation needed]
Fragments of the original tower may exist in the
Gallery
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Artist impression of the Porcelain Tower before its destruction, based on the model displayed in the Nanjing Museum[11]
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Early European illustration of the Porcelain Tower, from An embassy from the East-India Company (1665) by Johan Nieuhof
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Porcelain Tower, from An embassy from the East-India Company (1665) by Johan Nieuhof
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The Porcelain Pagoda, as illustrated inFischer von Erlach's A Plan of Civil and Historical Architecture (1721)
References
- ^ "Nanjing pagoda - Seven wonders of the medieval world". unmuseum.org. U.N.Museum. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Wanda chairman makes largest donation in China's history". People's Daily. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Yu, Elaine (2016-09-16). "Nanjing's Porcelain Tower: Ancient 'world wonder' brought back to life". CNN. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ "Thousand-year Porcelain Tower of Nanjing completes renovation". People's Daily. 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ISBN 9780321084439..
- ISBN 9780321084439..
- ^ Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture
- ^ Jonathan D. Spence. God's Chinese Son, New York 1996
- ^ Williams, S. Wells. The Middle Kingdom: a Survey of the Geography, Government, Literature, Social Life, Arts, & History of the Chinese Empire & its Inhabitants, Vol. 1. Scribner (New York), 1904.
- ^ John Anderson, Catalogue and Handbook of the Archaeological Collections in the Indian Museum, Part II: Gupta and Inscription Galleries. Buddhist, Jain, Brahmanical, and Muhammadan Sculptures; Metal Weapons, objects from Tumuli, &c. (printed by order of the Trustees, Calcutta, 1883) p.479.
- ^ Original Porcelain Tower reconstitution exposed in the Nanjing Museum.
External links
- "The legendary porcelain tower". The missing ancient architectures. Episode 7. China Central Television. CCTV-9. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2011-12-19. (English subtitle)
- The Closing Events of the Campaign in China by Granville Gower Loch. London 1843.
- Great Bao'en Monastery, Architectura Sinica Site Archive