Pazhou Pagoda | |||||||||||
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Chinese | 琶洲塔 | ||||||||||
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The Pazhou Pagoda, also known as the Whampoa Pagoda, is an ancient Chinese pagoda on Pazhou Island in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, the capital of China's Guangdong Province.[1]
The Whampoa Pagoda initiated work in 1597 and it was completely built in 1600.[1] The pagoda is situated on a knoll at the south bank of Pearl River. Although it was built as a Buddhist landmark, it was also a useful navigation point for merchant ships travelling to Guangzhou.[1][2][3]
It is an octagonal tower with 9 main sections and 17 sub sections.[4] The tower stands at about 59 meters (194 ft) and has a diameter at the base of 12.7 meters (42 ft).[4] It covers a total area of 111 square metres.[4][5]
As similar functions to Chigang Pagoda, it was built for Fengshui and allow safe navigation of merchant ships travelling along the Pearl River towards Guangzhou.[4]