Interesting Facts About Porcelain Tower Of Nanjing - Fun Facts Porcelain Tower Of Nanjing China

Porcelain Tower is situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Nanjing. Also known as the 'Temple of Gratitude', the tower is one of the most notable archeological and historical sites in China. It dates back to 15^th century, when it was constructed as a Buddhist place of worship. Later, a large portion of Porcelain Tower was destroyed, during the Taiping rebellion of the 19^th century. Presently, restoration work is going on at the site of the tower. Read on to know some fun and interesting facts about Porcelain Tower of Nanjing.

Image: By Prof. Gary Lee Todd (Nanjing Museum: Pottery & Porcelain) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Interesting And Fun Facts About Porcelain Tower Of Nanjing

Porcelain Tower of Nanjing was designed by the Chinese Emperor Yongle, shortly before its construction in the 15^th century.
The Tower was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World during the MedievalAges.
Porcelain Tower was octagonal in shape at the base and the top of its roof was marked by a golden sphere.
With its nine stories, the tower went up to a height of 260 feet, at the time it was built. One had to climb 130 steps of the spiral staircase, built in the middle of the tower, to reach the top floor.
Porcelain Tower was one of the tallest buildings in China, when it was constructed.
The Tower was built using white porcelain bricks, which reflected the sun rays during daytime and thus, helped the tower to stay cool.
During the nighttime, Porcelain Tower was illuminated with over 100 lamps hung from the building, with a golden sphere on the top of it to give a stunning appearance.
The porcelain bricks of the Tower were adorned with glazes and stoneware that created a blend of green, yellow, white and brown designs on the sides, depicting the images of animals, flowers and landscapes.
In 1801, a powerful bolt of lighting hit Porcelain Tower of Nanjing and destroyed its top three stories. However, they were soon restored.
'The Closing Events of the Campaign in China', a book written by Granville Gower Loch in 1843, contains a detailed description of the tower as it existed in the early 1840s.
It is believed that the original plan for the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing comprised of 13 stories with a total height of about 330 feet.

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