Xinhua, September 5, 2006
Shanxi, China -- Sakyamuni Pagoda, believed to be the world's tallest wooden structure, celebrated its 950th anniversary on September 5 amid concerns from architects that it is tilting.
The streets in front of the Fogong Temple, where the pagoda is housed, were swamped with 30,000 people and draped in red flags, silk banners, pumpkin-shaped lanterns and colored balloons.
At about 10 a.m., 3,000 peace doves were flown from the square. Later, a seven-ton bell rang 108 times, symbolizing Buddhist perspective that this dispels a person's 108 worries.
Among the attendees were more than 200 monks and Buddhist followers who traveled all the way from Taiwan for the celebration held in Yingxian County in northern Shanxi Province.
Yet architectural scholars are not optimistic about the pagoda's future, warning that the ageing "King of Wooden Pagoda" might succumb to another violent quake or strong wind, as the tower is tilting.
There is an obvious tilt between the first and second floors and cracking of the interior wooden columns, and there are also 300 places in the pagoda that are in need of repair, said Chai Zejun, former director of the Shanxi Provincial Ancient Architecture Institute.
"The overall situation is dangerous and we are not optimistic. It is hard to tell whether the pagoda can survive more strong winds and earthquakes," said 82-year-old Luo Zhewen, head of the Experts Panel on Ancient Architecture with the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, who has visited the pagoda dozens of times since 1952.
Standing 67.31 meters tall, the octagonal pagoda in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province, is not only the tallest but the oldest existing wooden pagoda in China. The pagoda is 115 years older and 11.36 meters taller than the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
The Sakyamuni Pagoda has long been lauded as the world's tallest wooden tower with its unique architectural, religious and historical value. It has been under state-level protection since 1961 and went into the Tentative List of UNESCO's World Heritage in 1996.
China started mulling over fixing the pagoda 17 years ago, when the senior party official Li Ruihuan saw for himself the damaged condition of the pagoda. But the process has been slow.
A group of renowned and experienced experts on ancient architecture, including Chai and Luo, have invited the pagoda to do surveys, research and offer opinions on how to fix it.
"Experts haven't reached a consensus," said Fu, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He added that he is firmly opposed to a proposal to rebuild the structure, saying, "It will leave us with a new pagoda built by ourselves instead of our ancestors 950 years ago, thus its historical information and historic value will be lost."
But Luo, is a strong supporter of the rebuilding plan, saying, "It has been a common practice for thousands of years."
Most architectural scholars are growing tired of endless arguments and demonstrations, and are becoming more and more worried that the pagoda might not live through 1,000 years.
"We must act soon, in whatever way," Fu said.
Yu Tianfang, a 37-year-old woman peddler selling cold drinks in front of the Fogong Temple, said: "We Yingxian people all take pride in the wooden pagoda. I hope it can stand for another thousand years."
