The Pazhou Pagoda, also known as the Whampoa Pagoda or Pa Chow Pogoda, is an early modern
Chinese 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, ...
on
Pazhou Island
Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China.
, formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships pa ...
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 ...
, the capital of
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 ...
's
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
.
History
The Whampoa Pagoda initiated work in 1597 and it was completely built in 1600.
The pagoda is situated on a knoll at the south bank of
Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
. Although it was built as a Buddhist landmark, it was also a useful navigation point for merchant ships traveling to
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 ...
.
Architecture
It is an octagonal tower with 9 main sections and 17 sub sections.
The tower stands at about , and has a diameter at the base of .
It covers a total area of 111 square metres.
Functioning in a similar fashion to
Chigang Pagoda, it was built for
Fengshui and allow safe navigation of merchant ships traveling along the
Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
towards
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 ...
.
Gallery
File:Pazhou Pagoda.jpg, The Pazhou Pagoda in 2010
File:Pa Chao Pagoda1880.jpg, The Pagoda in 1880
File:Whampoa from Dane's Island.jpg, Drawing of the Pagoda and Changzhou Island
Changzhou Island, formerly known in English as Dane or , is an island in the Pearl River Delta of China's Guangdong Province. It is now administered as part of Guangzhou's Huangpu District, although the historic Huangpu Island was nearby ...
, 1858
References
External links
{{commons-inline, Whampoa Pagoda, Whampoa Pagoda
Buildings and structures completed in 1600
Buddhist temples in Guangzhou
Pagodas in China
Ming dynasty architecture