North Temple Pagoda


North Temple Pagoda, regarded as “The Oldest Tower in South of the Yangtze River” and an important symbol of
Suzhou, is located in North Tower Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Built in the 3rd century, and rebuilt in the Ming
Dynasty, North Temple Pagoda (Beisi Ta) towers over modern Suzhou and is a great place to get a fantastic view of
the city.

The construction of the temple had been done during the Times of Wu Chi, in Wu Kingdom (238~251A.D.). King Sun
Quan asked the workmen to built it and he named it - Tongxuan Temple. During the modern repairs of the pagoda in
1960 and 1975, Chinese artifacts were found within the steeple, including a copper turtle and statues of the Buddha.
The latest restoration of the pagoda was in 2006.

North Temple Pagoda is less popular with Chinese tourists and should not be as crowded as other Suzhou sights. If
you have a few extra days to spend in Suzhou, it is nice to spend an afternoon visiting this ancient pagoda. You can
also enjoy a cup of Biluochun tea (a famous regional tea) at the teahouse on the premises.

The base of the pagoda has an octagonal frame, and the tower rises nine stories in a total height of 76 m (243 ft). The pagoda was once eleven
stories tall, yet was damaged and reduced to nine stories. It is famous for double eaves and flying corners and is a building in the same type as
the Liuhe Pagoda in Hangzhou. Its base and outside walls are made of brick, the balustrades made of stone, and the eaves and banisters
encircling the structure are made of wood.

Its body consists of the outer corridors, the inner corridors and the square rooms in the center. Visitors can walk up along the wooden stairs in the
internal corridors and by leaning on the railings look down at the panorama of the city as well as look at hills, waters, and rural scenery of Suzhou
in the distance.

There are many ancient relics left near the pagoda. For instance, the Guanyin Hall, which was rebuilt in 1612, in
the years of Emperor Wanli of Ming Dynasty (1368~1644A.D.). The hall has another name "Nanmu Guanyin Hall
"; The stone tablet which says about the king of Wu Kingdom, entertaining the envoys from Yuan Dynasty.