Chigang Pagoda, also known as the Red Stone Hill Pagoda or Honam Pogoda, is a famous

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

located in

Haizhu District Haizhu District is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Geography Haizhu District is located in the southern part of Guangzhou city. After the adjustment of Guangzhou' ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

History

Chigang Pagoda was built in 1619, during the reign of the

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, at a time when fengshui influences were pervasive in Chinese architecture. Together with the

Pazhou Pagoda The Pazhou Pagoda, also known as the Whampoa Pagoda or Pa Chow Pogoda, is an early modern Chinese pagoda on Pazhou Island in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, the capital of China's Guangdong Province. History The Whampoa Pagoda initiated work in 159 ...

(Whampoa Pagoda) and Lotus Pagoda, it is said that the three pagodas were built at the mouth of the Pearl River to bring good luck to Guangzhou and the surrounding area.http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E8%B5%A4%E5%B2%97%E5%A1%94 The building is made from red sandstone. The style of the Chigang Pagoda is influenced by the Ming dynasty architecture of the era. It was built to mirror the

in the vicinity as well.

Architecture

The pagoda is built in an octagonal shape. It stands tall. The base has a diameter of . The pagoda has nine exterior floor sections. Inside the pagoda, it consist of 17 levels which keeps the nine sections together. Chigang_Pagoda

Restoration

Because of neglect and exposure to the elements over the centuries, the Chigang Pagoda deteriorated. The external wall cracked, the foundation started to sink, and the floors became uneven due to neglect. At one stage, the pagoda leaned about 1.05 m from the vertical. In 1996 the Guangzhou authorities started work on its restoration, but this was never completed due to a lack of funds.http://old.lvyou100.com/Scene/jdindex/4323.html In 1998 the Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Management raised RMB 1.60 million to fund restoration of the Pagoda. The restoration and inspection was completed in mid-1999.

Transport

The pagoda can be reached by rail. It is near Canton Tower Station (previously called Chigang Pagoda Station) on line 3 and Kecun Station on line 3 and line 8 of the

Guangzhou Metro The Guangzhou Metro () ( and ) is the rapid transit system of the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province of China. It is operated by the state-owned Guangzhou Metro Corporation and was the fourth metro system to be built in mainland China, af ...

. However, the pagoda is not open to the public.

References

{{coord, 23, 6, 15.6, N, 113, 19, 2.3, E, display=title, region:CN_type:landmark Buddhist temples in Guangzhou Haizhu District Religious buildings and structures completed in 1619 Pagodas in China 1619 establishments in China