What is a Chinese Pagoda?

Historically, the design of pagodas took shape when Indian stupas were mixed with the existing architecture in China. The pagodas that emerged became associated with Buddhism.See the entry ‘Pagoda’ in Britannica Buddhism influenced Chinese architecture when it started to spread in China. Pagodas were used as a way to store Buddhist artefacts.See Fu Xinnian, Chinese Architecture -- The Three Kingdoms, Western, and Eastern Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Yale University Press: 2002, p. 85. The pagoda then developed in distinctly unique styles across Asia, and as years went by they generally grew taller. The world’s tallest pagoda is located in China and was finished in 2007, towering over 153 meters in height (505 ft).

The traditional pagoda consists of multiple tiers with small roofs separating the levels. The number of stories vary from three to thirteen, depending on the height of the building. Materials also differ, with most pagodas nowadays being made of wood, stone, or brick. Wooden pagodas which were made in earlier times, have often been destroyed due to fire or natural deterioration.

Yet, some old pagodas still stand. For instance, the 11th century Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Shanxi, China, still stands as the oldest wooden pagoda in China. China’s oldest standing pagodas, however, are made of brick. One of these brick pagodas is the Songyue Pagoda in Henan, China, built in the 6th century.