The Porcelain Tower of Nankin

Illustration of the Porcelain Tower, drawn by Johan Nieuhof circa 1665. The tower features a series of modules stacked upon each other. Image source.

This is the early fifteenth century Porcelain Tower of Nankin. It stood at a height of roughly 79 m (260 ft), and is one of the tallest pagodas that we have records of. It was built as part of the Great Bao'en Temple in present-day Nanjing, China. Pagodas are usually associated with a temple, which suggests that they function much like a bell tower or steeple, using verticality to announce the importance of a place.

Illustration of the Porcelain Tower, drawn by Johan Nieuhof circa 1665. The tower was the centerpiece of the Great Bao'en Temple Complex. Image source.

The Porcelain Tower was partially destroyed twice, both for defensive purposes. Most pagodas were built in order to provide a viewing platform to those who ascended them. This ability to survey the landscape came in handy when defending against outside threats. During the Taiping Rebellion of the 1850s, the interior staircase was destroyed to prevent the Qing from using the tower for observation. A few years after this, the tower was completely destroyed by the same rebels for similar reasons.[1]

Historic illustration of the Porcelain Tower. Image Source.

The tower was documented and written about by Johan Nieuhof, a Dutch author and explorer in his book An embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces. In it, he referred to the pagoda as a wonder of the medieval world, and after its exposure to the Western world it became a national treasure for China.


[1]: Spence, Jonathan D.. God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.