Qualla: Sansheng Pagoda of Tianning Temple

Sansheng Pagoda of Tianning Temple: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Windmemories, CC BY-SA 4.0. Most pagodas taper in straight lines. The Sansheng Pagoda curves. Rising 32.76 meters above Qinyang in Henan province, its thirteen tiers of corbelled brick eaves trace a parabolic profile that gives the tower a silhouette unlike any other in the region. Built in 1171 during the Dading era of the Jin dynasty, it stands on a site where temples have been built and abandoned since the Sui dynasty -- a tower that outlasted the religious community that created it.

Image: Windmemories | CC BY-SA 4.0

Sansheng Pagoda of Tianning Temple: A Temple's Many Lives

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Windmemories, CC BY-SA 4.0. The ground beneath the pagoda has carried different names through the centuries. A temple was first built here during the Sui dynasty (581-618) under the name Wanshou Temple. When the Tang dynasty took power, it was renamed Dayun Temple, and a wooden pavilion was added behind the...

Image: Windmemories | CC BY-SA 4.0

Sansheng Pagoda of Tianning Temple: Brick Upon Brick, Tier Upon Tier

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Windmemories, CC BY-SA 4.0. The pagoda's construction reflects the Jin dynasty's sophisticated masonry traditions. Its square base covers over 140 square meters, with each side measuring 12.24 meters and rising 6.5 meters to a Sumeru pedestal. Above this platform, the thirteen layers of multi-eaved pagoda b...

Image: Windmemories | CC BY-SA 4.0

Sansheng Pagoda of Tianning Temple: From Abandoned Temple to National Treasure

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Zhangzhugang, CC BY-SA 4.0. After Tianning Temple fell into disuse, the pagoda stood for centuries as a solitary landmark. In 1984, the local government established the Qinyang Museum around it, giving the pagoda a new institutional context after its religious one had faded. On June 25, 2001, the State Coun...

Image: Zhangzhugang | CC BY-SA 4.0