Fangta Park, Buddhist pagoda park in Songjiang District, China
Fangta Park houses a Buddhist pagoda from the 11th century that rises through nine stories and sits within a traditional Chinese garden landscape. The grounds feature winding pathways, wooden pavilions for resting, and stone structures scattered throughout the space.
The pagoda was constructed between 1068 and 1077 as the final surviving structure of a former Buddhist temple complex. It underwent major restoration work during the Ming and Qing dynasties and again in the 1970s.
The park serves as a gathering place where locals stroll on weekends and practice tai chi near the pagoda on quiet mornings. You can see how the landscape layout reflects traditional Chinese design values through its carefully positioned rocks, plants, and water features.
The park is easy to navigate with clear pathways and plenty of seating scattered throughout for resting between sections. You can comfortably explore the entire space in a couple of hours, and early mornings or late afternoons tend to be less crowded.
During repair work in 1974, construction workers discovered a burial chamber beneath the pagoda containing remains of the monk Miaoyuan along with bronze religious objects. This discovery revealed details about monastic life in that era.
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