The Wentai Pagoda () is a
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, ...
in Gucheng Village,
Jincheng Township
Jincheng is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi province, China, bordering Henan province to the south and southeast. It is an industrial city in an area where coal mining is an important industry. The entire city has a population ...
,
Kinmen County,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
The pagoda is a tower of feng shui erected for worshiping star and its incarnation.
History
The pagoda was built in 1387 during the 20th year of
Hongwu Emperor of
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
by Marquess Chianghsia Chou Te-hsing. It was built to serve as navigational marker for ships negotiating the treacherous waters near Kinmen and also for defense of Kinmen from the Japanese pirates. The tower is classified as second grade national historic relic. The tower was damaged during an earthquake in 1918 and also in 1961 due to war.
Architecture
The pagoda is a five-level hexagon granite building.
Its peak features carvings and relief works and the stone on its base exhibits Chinese calligraphy written by Ming scholar Chen Hui and contemporary artist Chang Ta-chien.
Transportation
The pagoda is accessible by bus or taxi west from
Kinmen Airport
Kinmen Shangyi Airport () is a civilian airport serving Kinmen, Fujian Province, Republic of China. It is located at Jinhu Township of Kinmen County. It was authorized to become a C-class airport under the direct supervision of the Civil Aerona ...
.
See also
*
Longfeng Temple, Jinsha Township
*
List of temples in Taiwan
This is a list of notable temples in Taiwan associated with Chinese folk religion, mostly Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Religious affiliation is based on what each temple registered as to the Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry ...
*
Religion in Taiwan
References
1387 establishments in Asia
14th-century establishments in China
Buildings and structures in Kinmen County
Jincheng Township
National monuments of Taiwan
Pagodas in Taiwan
Tourist attractions in Kinmen County
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