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Just a few hundred meters north
of the Zhangye Hotel looms the 31-metre-tall Mu Ta(Wooden Tower). It is
unknown in exactly which year the pagoda was erected, but people generally
believe it was during the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557-581 AD). After this
it underwent renovations in the Sui (581-618 AD), the Tang (618-907 AD),
the Ming (1368-1644 AD) and the Qing (1644-1911 AD) Dynasties. The Muta
is considered to be the one most harmonious pagodas in China, incorporating
as it does careful carpentry, exquisite blacksmith work and delicate painting.
The existing 32.8m-tall pagoda, rebuilt in 1926, is a nine-storey octagonal
construction. On each storey, there are eight wood carved dragon heads,
bead in mouth and bell below neck. The entire structure is made of wood,
with the inner walls paved by hollow bricks for strength. What makes the
pagoda so special is that the fact that there is not a nail or rivet within.
From the top storey of the pagoda, you'll get a bird's view of the whole
city. Nowadays the pagoda, apart from having historically important architecture,
also serves as a museum displaying the town folk's customs. |
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