Youguo Temple

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The glazed-brick Iron Pagoda, built in 1049, and the temple grounds

Youguo Temple (

Henan province, China. It was built during the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE). The design features the Iron Pagoda towering in the center of the complex, in a style that flourished in Chinese Buddhist temple architecture through the 11th century.[1]

History

The original temple was magnificent in scale with 280 halls and 24 monasteries. Kaifeng was the capital city of the

Northern Song dynasty, and the temple was an important place that the emperors of the dynasty visited often. The imperial examinations were held at the temple, and applicants from throughout the Chinese empire came to take civil service exams.[2]

Pagodas

The temple's original pagoda was a mammoth octagonal wooden tower of thirteen stories. The eminent architect Yu Hao had designed and engineered it.[2] In 1044, it was hit by lightning and burned to the ground.

Iron Pagoda

Main article: Iron Pagoda

eaves (miyan) and multiple storeys (louge).[1] The glazed bricks, brown in color, gave the new tower its name, the Iron Pagoda.[3]

The exterior features more than fifty different varieties of brick and 1,600 intricate and richly detailed carvings, including those of sitting

bells that ring in the wind. The foundation rests in the silt of the Yellow River.[4] Inside the Iron Pagoda are frescos of the Chinese classical novel, the Journey to the West.[5]

In 1847 the Yellow River overflowed its banks and the Youguo Temple collapsed, but the Iron Pagoda survived. Historically, the pagoda has experienced 38 earthquakes, six floods and many other disasters, but it remains intact after almost 1000 years.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-300-09559-7
    .
  2. ^ a b "Tower in Youguo Temple". China Culture. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  3. ^ a b "Youguo Temple Iron Pagoda in Kaifeng of Henan Province". china.org. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  4. ^ a b "Iron Pagoda". China Culture. Archived from the original on 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  5. ISBN 1-74059-687-0
    . Retrieved 2007-09-03. youguo temple.

External links
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