| Baoti
Pagoda (1000 year-old site, rebuilt 1933)
other
sites in Hangzhou |
Hangzhou, China |
Click on an image to enlarge
Baoshishan (Gem Hill) lies to the north of West Lake and separates it from the northern part of the City of Hangzhou. At the top sits Baoti Pagoda, which was last rebuilt in 1933. Apparently a pagoda has stood on this spot for over a thousand years. The current one is made of black brick and has a rather unique style – sort of a cross between traditional Chinese and European gothic. It stands about 150 feet tall and can be seen from almost any spot on West Lake. The whole area atop the hill had once been part of a vast Buddhist temple and monastery. The foundations of some of these buildings were either still standing, or had been rebuilt, but there were no buildings - only flat bits of ground. The main path up the hill took a sudden 90-degree turn about halfway up, and here there were several niches carved in the face of a small cliff to the left side of the path. The images low enough to the ground had been completely obliterated, but some of the ones higher up have survived. All are covered in a blanket of thick, brilliantly green moss.
Bibliography
All images copyright 2001 Professor
Kerk L. Phillips of Brigham Young University, Utah, USA.
Visit his webpage at www.pomosa.com