|
Shibaozhai (Precious Stone Stronghold)
On the downstream journey of the Yangtze, Shibaozhai
represents the first gem of Chinese architecture to be encountered. A
distance view of a protruding 220-meter hill resembles a jade seal.
On the south bank of the Yangtze River, it was firstly
built in the Qing dynasty in 1650. As one of the most spectacular
sites along the river, this 12-storied wooden red pavilion with a
height of 56 meters, hugs a sheer rectangular cliff. It consists of
three parts: the entrance gate, a nine-storied wooden pavilion and a
small temple at the top.
On its yellow glazed entrance gate is an inscription
inviting the visitor to climb the ladder and ascend into a 'Little
Fairyland' (the top temple). The top temple was built during the reign
of  Emperor Qianlong. Originally, the top temple is inaccessible for
its elevation and later an iron access chain to it was attached to the
cliff. In 1819, the nine-storied red wooden pavilion was add so that
monks and visitors to the temple would not have to suffer the
discomforts of the chain ascent and designers also build interior
cockle stairs to make the climbing more convenient.
|
