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

pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, 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 some ...

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, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

History

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

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shenzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Yijun, art name Yuzhai, was the 14th List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reig ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, at a time when

fengshui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

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 provinces of China, Province. History Construction of the ...

(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. 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. 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 ( zh, s=广州地铁, labels=no) is the rapid transit system of the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province of China. It is operated by the state-owned Guangzhou Metro Corporation and was the fourth metro system to be b ...

. 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