Pagoda of Ci'en Temple, Buddhist pagoda in Chengguan District, Lanzhou, China.
The Pagoda of Ci'en is a seven-story brick structure that rises on Baitashan Mountain and overlooks Lanzhou city and the Yellow River. The grounds feature walking paths, stone steps, and corridors that connect different levels throughout the mountain complex.
A lama sent by the Sakya school died in Lanzhou in 1228 while traveling to meet Genghis Khan, and a stupa and temple were built in his memory. The Yuan-era tower collapsed at the end of that dynasty. In 1448 the Ming eunuch Liu Yongcheng rebuilt the present white pagoda, and in 1715 the Gansu governor Chuoqi enlarged the temple and renamed it Ci'en Temple.
The pagoda displays traditional Buddhist design elements with religious figures carved into its surfaces and decorative beams across multiple platforms. Visitors can observe these details up close and experience the spiritual purpose the structure holds for the community.
Wear comfortable shoes because accessing different levels requires climbing stairs. It is worth allowing time to explore both the pagoda and the surrounding mountain complex.
The bronze bell in Ci'en Temple was cast in 1718 under the Kangxi emperor and weighs 153.5 kg. Its sound reportedly carried across all of Lanzhou; during Japanese air raids on the city it served as an air-raid alarm, and in the early years of the People's Republic it was used by Lanzhou University to mark the hours.
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