Rui'an East Pagoda

Rui'an East Pagoda

Rui'an East Pagoda is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Rui'an East Pagoda (Provincial-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Date of designation: March 16, 2005

A hexagonal, five-story brick pagoda in the style of a wooden pavilion tower. The structure is hollow-walled. The lower part features a brick base and Sumeru pedestal. The first story of the pagoda body subtly reveals corner columns, lintels, bracket arms, and ground beams. The upper stories have closely spaced pilasters and are adorned with multiple tiers of eaves. The second floor has lattice windows on all sides. The third to fifth floors are progressively more delicate. Brick carvings of floral patterns, beasts, and human figures are found on various parts. The steeple is composed of overlapping discs and is topped with an iron finial. The upper sections are slightly inclined inward, giving an overall sense of stability.

Originally, each floor inside the pagoda had wooden flooring and staircases, allowing access to the upper levels. These have now been destroyed.

The East Pagoda was first built in the second year of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty (969 AD), and the current structure is a reconstruction from the Ming Dynasty.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units