One pagoda in the spotlight the past few days is the Longhua Pagoda in Shanghai. The Shanghai Daily described it on September 29 as a ‘living fossil’, a day after it celebrated its 1,759th birthday.
The pagoda was built in the year 247 during the Three Kingdoms Period. It is part of the largest temple in Shanghai and a symbol of Buddhism. Longhua Pagoda was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In its current form it incarnates the style of the Song Dynasty. It is 40.64 meters high, comprising seven storey’s, each with octagonal eaves.
The Longhua Pagoda’s health is not so good, not altogether surprising after 1,759 years! It is leaning to one side, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The pagoda had been closed to the public since 1949, but after undergoing repairs, was opened for just the first three days of the October First Golden Week.
Climbing to the top didn’t come cheap. Tickets were sold for 100 yuan, but that included a box of mooncakes and a gilded Buddhist card. I don’t know how many people visited the pagoda in the past three days, but will keep you informed if any numbers are published.
It is nice to see that this venerable fossil has been in the limelight again, if only for a few days…
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