The Tianning Temple (), is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism rep ...

located in

Changzhou Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provin ...

City, Jiangsu Province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, is noted for its giant pagoda, the Tianning Pagoda (). Construction began in April 2002 with the opening ceremony for the completed structure held on April 30, 2007, where a crowd of hundreds of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monks gathered for the ceremony. With 13 stories and a height of , this is now the tallest pagoda in the world,''

China Daily ''China Daily'' () is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China. T ...

''. (April 30, 2007)
World's Tallest Pagoda Inaugurated
Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. taller than China's tallest existent pre-modern Buddhist pagoda, the Liaodi Pagoda built in 1055 at a height of 84 m (275 ft). Although the existing pagoda was built by April 2007, the temple grounds and the pagoda have a history of construction and destruction for the past 1,350 years, since the time of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingd ...

(618–907). Building of the pagoda was proposed by the Buddhist Association of China in 2001, yet providing money donations for the temple was an international effort, as leaders of 108 Buddhist associations and temples worldwide attended the opening ceremony at the temple.The Star Online. (April 30, 2007)
Buddhist rite opens world's tallest pagoda in China
. Thestar.com.my. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. On 25 May 2006 the lower levels of the pagoda caught fire. However, no permanent damage was done.

Structural features

The tower is supported by a 6,500 t steel structure.http://www.tianningsi.org (In Chinese)

. Retrieved on 2014-12-18. The grounds for the Tianning Temple Pagoda occupies a space of 27,000 m² (290,625 ft²). Complete with 68,038 kg (75 t) of gold and brass for the rooftops, additional bronze and jade decorations, and the use of wood imported from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, the total cost of its construction was some 300 million yuan (US$38.5 million).''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

''. (May 1, 2007)
China Temple Opens Tallest Pagoda
News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.The Age. (May 1, 2007)

Theage.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. The top story of the pagoda features a golden spire and a large bronze bell weighing 30,000 kg (33 t).

Religious significance

On the completion of the new pagoda at Tianning Temple, the mayor of Changzhou, Wang Weicheng, explicitly correlated his city's economic development with that of religious development in China. Following the end of religious persecution after the tumultuous

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

(1966–1976), the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

has relaxed its control over religion, especially Chinese Buddhism, which has some 100 million adherents within the

People's Republic 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 an ...

. The deputy abbot of Tianning Temple, Kuo Hui, said that like other religions Buddhism advocates peace and harmony, with ideas that could be beneficial to Chinese society. He also stated that the pagoda was rebuilt to "inherit the fine traditions of Buddhism and to honour

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

." The pagoda is dedicated to Chinese Chan Buddhism.

Gallery

File:20090919 Changzhou Tianning Temple 5326.jpg File:20090919 Changzhou Tianning Temple Pagoda 5223.jpg File:20090919 Changzhou Tianning Temple Pagoda 5409.jpg File:Tianning Temple in Changzhou.jpg

Notes

External links

Yahoo video showing the temple grounds and the height of the pagoda from the ground
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tianning Temple Buddhist temples in Changzhou 2002 establishments in China Religious buildings and structures completed in 2007 Pagodas in China Buildings and structures in Changzhou Wooden buildings and structures in China

Structural features

Religious significance

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links