Wentai Pagoda

Coordinates: 24°25′00.1″N 118°18′59.9″E / 24.416694°N 118.316639°E / 24.416694; 118.316639

Wentai Pagoda

The Wentai Pagoda (Chinese: 文臺寶塔; pinyin: Wéntái Bǎotǎ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bûn-tâi Pó-thah) is a pagoda in Gucheng Village, Jincheng Township, Kinmen County, Fujian Province, Republic of China.[1] The pagoda is a tower of feng shui erected for worshiping star and its incarnation.[2]

History

The pagoda was built in 1387 during the 20th year of Hongwu Emperor of Ming Dynasty 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.[3]

Architecture

The pagoda is a five-level hexagon granite building. It exhibits an impressively simple and dignified style. 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.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wentai Pagoda.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/12/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.