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The number one tower in the world! What exactly makes it so?

The Xiuding Temple Pagoda is the only existing brick structure square Buddhist pagoda in China that has all four walls decorated with molded relief bricks. It is located at the former site of Xiuding Temple on the southern foot of Qingliang Mountain, 35 kilometers northwest of Anyang City, Henan Province. Xiuding Temple was one of the four famous temples in Beiqi of Anyang, along with Lingquan Temple, Honggu Temple, and Yunmen Temple. It was a Zen temple for eminent monks of the Buddhist Dialectical School in Yecheng, especially Xiuding Temple, which was personally decreed by Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi, giving it a special status. The Xiuding Temple Pagoda is famous for its gorgeously decorated relief bricks that make up the body of the pagoda. It is said to have 72 different patterns, with as many as 3,775 bricks. The patterns include images of Triratna, four-armed guardian kings, and more often, the Seven Treasures of the Wheel King. The four walls of the Xiuding Temple Pagoda are essentially a grand scroll with the Seven Treasures as the main theme. Apart from the pagoda gate section, the four walls of the pagoda are divided into five areas by hanging curtains made of tassels, colored bells, and ribbons. The central core area features the Golden Wheel Treasure surrounded by dancers and flying apsaras, while the side areas feature combinations of the Three Treasures of beads, elephants, and laymen, and the Three Treasures of soldiers, horses, and women, respectively. The outer areas consist of guardian combinations made up of makaras, lions, dragon kings, and guardian kings. As for whether this ornately decorated ancient pagoda can be called the 'number one tower in the world,' I believe you have your own answer?
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*Created by local travelers and translated by AI.
Posted: Apr 18, 2024
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Xiuding Pagoda

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Anyang County
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