Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is a common name; its actual name is Shakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple. It is located in Fogong Temple in Ying County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. It was first built in the second year of the Qingning period of the Liao Dynasty. It is the tallest and oldest existing all-wood structure pavilion-style building in the world. It is known as one of the world's three great towers, along with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and the Eiffel Tower in France. The main material of the wooden pagoda is North China larch, and the dougong (bracket sets) are made of elm wood. The amount of wood used is as much as tens of thousands of cubic meters. The entire structure consists of three parts: the base, the body, and the steeple. The base is divided into two layers: the lower layer is square, and the upper layer is octagonal. The body of the pagoda is octagonal, with five visible stories and six eaves, but it actually has nine stories, with four hidden inside. Currently, the upper levels of the wooden pagoda are not open to the public, but the first level is accessible. The first level houses a gold statue of Shakyamuni, which is the largest Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the entire pagoda. The face is full and round, with a kind and serene expression. The stone-green eyebrows are like new moons, the eyes are slightly open, the nose is elegant, and there are stone-green curled mustaches at the corners of the lips, matching the color of the eyebrows. The chin has fine moon-shaped lines, and the ears, which hang down to the shoulders, are adorned with earrings.